L'amore e la guerra
by kyootness
Summary: AU. The story of Ludwig, a German soldier, and his Italian wife during the last years of WW2. Fem!Feli
1. Chapter I

"This room is such a mess..." sighed Ludwig.

And he was right. The room in question looked like a tornado had passed right through there. Clothes, books, pens, old letters and even a couple of pans were scattered everywhere.

Jesus! His wife was really the most disorganised woman he had ever met.

He gave a little smile. No matter how messy his Feli was, he loved her so much. She was whiny and easily scared, but she also was always cheerful, and when he came home tired from work just seeing her there, with a smile and a delicious meal on the table was something he would never trade for anything. Or anyone.

She was the granddaughter of an Italian scientist who had been called to Germany to work on some classified war project. So when he set her eyes on her for the first time, she had looked kind of sad. After all, she had had to leave her country just to follow her grandfather, and her older brother hadn't been much of a comfort at that time, because he had found himself a Spanish friend and spent all of his waking hours with him. Ludwig was just an eighteen year old wannabe officer, and it was so difficult for him to work up the nerve to just say hello to her (only to find out that she didn't speak German. That had been a difficult time. But lucky too, because he took it upon himself to teach her.) and even more strength to ask her to stay in Germany with him as his wife.

He remembered how much he had missed her when he was on the Russian front fighting. That had been the worst time of his life. The only things he saw were death and pain. Seeing his friends and fellow soldiers die one by one, killed by those fucking _untermenschen..._ he felt nearly happy when he got hit by a hand grenade that completely crushed his left arm.

The doctors had managed to keep him all in one piece, but he could not fight anymore. The officers decided that he had done what he had to, so they shipped him home with many thanks, the rank of Captain and some medals.

He could only imagine what Feli had thought when she received the official letter with the Wehrmacht insignia on it. Luckily though, the letter just said that her husband fought bravely blah blah blah and that he was coming home. Thank God for that. After all, they had been married just a month before he was sent to fight, and he really didn't like the thought of dying after just one month of married life and six in a fucking trench in a godforsaken, frozen wasteland in northeast Russia.

But that didn't matter anymore. It had been three months since he came back, and things were wonderful. They were finally living their newlywed life, and he could feel that it was perfect. Of course they fought sometimes, but a thing that's too perfect is just unreal, right? Or so Feli said.

While he was trying to make the room look fit for human life, he ran into a pack of letters tied together with a red ribbon. He blushed when he saw that they were the love letters they would send each other when he was on the front. However, between all those letters, one looked odd. It was written on paper that could be used to make boxes with, and looking at it he noticed that it was neither his nor Feli's handwriting. So he got it out of the pack and read it.

_23/4/1944_

_Dearest Feli,_

_The ship that will take me to England is already in the harbour. I will soon be a free man again. This is the only piece of paper I found. I gave the finished letter to Elizaveta, so I really don't know how and when you'll be able to read it. I am so sorry that I did not get the chance to say "goodbye" in person, but you know how things are at the moment. However, I didn't want to leave without you knowing how grateful I am._

_You helped me through a lot, and if you weren't there to tell me where to hide or passing me food and money under the table during these last few years, I would have died. _

_In the end, not only am I a jew, but I'm also an artist. The worst possible combination ever in Germany at this moment. _

_I know that you helped many others get to safety, so I want you to remember me in particular. I hope that you will treasure this letter (if it's safe to do so: I know that when your husband will come back he won't take too kindly to the help you've been giving me) and that one day, when this mess will be over, we will see each other again. _

_When I'll be back (because I know I will) I want you to know that should you need any help, be it a comfort word or 300 million Marks (ahah!) I will do anything that is humanly possible to help you out. _

_Thank you so much again._

_All of my love,_

_Roderich._

Ludwig's face went blank for a moment.

Then millions of questions crowded his mind. What did that letter mean? Who was this "Roderich" guy? Did Feli really help jews? Right under his nose, nonetheless? So when he was fighting and putting his life on the line for his country his OWN WIFE was making his effort useless? Did she cheat on him with this jew guy? Had she been liyng to him the whole time? Did she use him just to get information? Did she even care about him at all? What the fuck!

He started pacing around the room like a caged beast. His heart was racing. He felt betrayed. By the woman he loved the most, even. He bit down hard on his lip, feeling his anger skyrocket. This couldn't be happening! That little whore... how dare she...!

His eyes were roaming the room wildly, as if he expected Feli to pop up somewhere ready to stab him in the back. Not that she didn't do it already, after all. Shit!

While he was pacing around, he hit his head against the open door of a cupboard. He kicked it with all his strength, making it fall over. Even if it was on the ground, he continued to kick it with all his might, reducing it to sawdust.

How could Feli fuck him over that way?

Kick.

Didn't she realize that if she got caught it would have been the end for the both of them?

Kick.

Didn't she fucking think about him, sitting in a fucking trench trying not to die while she was having her fun with her little Roderich and making his effort useless?

Kick.

God damn that woman!

Kick.

He should have known!

Kick.

He should have listened to his father when he told him not to marry a non – German girl. No German girl would have ever done something so... so... he didn't even find the words!

Kick.

Wasn't she always whining and bitching about how spiders and thunderstorms terrified her? Well, wasn't this mess way more terrifying?

Kick.

Slut!

Kick.

Bitch!

Kick.

Fucking two faced filthy liar!

Kick.

* * *

Argh! You guys, I'm so sorry! I don't know how it happened! I'm so sad I lost all the reviews... there were 33... *sob*.

It's ok, I'm reposting everything. Serves me right for being an air - headed moron.


	2. Chapter II

"Is that all, Felicia?"

"Yeah, thank you. I'll be going home. Ludwig is there already, he will be worried if I don't come back soon. See you, Herr Weber!"

With that, Felicia was on her way. Her husband had come back after six months in Russia, so the least she could do was preparing a good meal for him. Okay, he had come home three months ago, but still.

She was going home while she spotted her friend Elizaveta sitting in a café. She smiled and called her. Elizaveta looked up and smiled, gesturing for her to come sit at her table.

Felicia figured that she could stay out some more time. Wasn't she already late, anyway?  
"Hey Elizaveta! How are you doing?" she asked cheerfully.

"Pretty well. Even though Roderich is not here anymore, I'm glad to know that he's safe."

Felicia paused for a moment. Roderich was an Austrian jew. A very good violinist, too. Elizaveta was Hungarian, but she looked German enough to be left alone. She was Roderich's wife, but she decided to let him flee on his own, while she stayed in Germany to help other people who were in desperate need. She knew that once the war would be over, the two of them would be together again. But now times called for other measures.

Felicia had helped Roderich into hiding and then passed him food and money. She knew that she would have been sent to the nearest Gestapo point if people found out, but she couldn't help it. Jews, gypsies and homosexuals didn't have a very easy life in Germany.

That was why she entered the resistance and helped countless of them. Her grandfather too had been in the resistance. He had been called to Germany to work on weapons, but he had quite the double life. Her brother too was involved in that.

The first months in Germany were hard. Her grandfather was very busy, and her brother was helping the persecuted population of Germany with the help of Antonio, a Spanish guy who had to flee Spain but wasn't lucky enough to make it to England. That was why she had been lonely most of the time. She didn't speak very good German and she didn't have friends. Her family didn't want her to be involved with their "work", and with good reason.

That was when she came across a shy German soldier by the name of Ludwig Beilschmidt. In the beginning she had used his obvious love for her to get valuable information to her father and brother. It took nothing more than batting her eyes at him and he was putty in her hands. But then she fell in love with him.

That was the only reason why she married him. She had to be extra careful around him, but sadly not for long. He was sent to fight on the Eastern front a month after their marriage. It was true that she was more free to help people, but then her grandpa had been called back to Italy and her brother ran into some visa problems, so they had to leave. She had missed both them and Ludwig terribly. Regardless of his views on life and Nazism, she really did love him. She was worried sick and would always wait anxiously for his letters, and had been very happy to know that he would come back, though injured, but alive at least.

She also knew that if her Ludwig found out what she had been doing, he would not be very pleased. She hoped to never find out what his reaction would be.

"So, is he doing well in England?" asked Felicia.

"Well... his letters are few and far between, but it seems that yes, he's doing well. He says he misses me a lot..."

"Aaaw... he's so sweet... Ludwig never tells me that, he's far too shy..." she laughed.

Elizaveta, hearing that name, changed her attitude.

"You know that he's a Nazi bastard. Him, his brother and his father are all army officers! I can't see what you see in him. I tried, but I really can't. If he or his family were to find out what you do they would take your ass to the Gestapo in a heartbeat."

"Maybe his father and brother, but he wouldn't. He would be startled at first, but then he would understand. And besides, after the news I'm going to tell him today, I'm sure he would not even raise his voice at me." she answered, sure of her words.

"News? What news?" Elizaveta was intrigued.

"I'm... oh my God, I can't even say that with a straight face... I'm pregnant!" said Felicia with a beaming smile.

Elizaveta looked at her as if she had two heads. "Are you for real?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure! I'm so happy!"

Elizaveta brought her hands to her eyes in a resigned gesture, then said "Well... congratulations, then. If you're happy, I'm happy too. When are you telling him?"

"Today, after dinner! Oh, he will be sooo happy!" she said. "Which reminds me... I have to make dinner! Sorry Eliza, I can't stay out more. I'll see you tomorrow for that thing with the Schumanns! Bye!"

With that, she got out of her chair, gathered her bags and went home.

She hummed all the way there, thinking of ways to tell him. She couldn't wait to see his face when she told him. He would be so happy.

Or such were her thoughts when she got home. As soon as she opened the door, she heard a strange noise, like wood being chopped. She worried, put her shopping bags on the kitchen table and asked "Ludwig? What's going on?"

The sound stopped abruptly. Then Ludwig came rushing down the stairs.

Felicia had never seen him look the way he did that moment. His hair was tousled, his breath was laboured, his face was red and he was sweating bullets, but what really scared her were his eyes. He looked like he could murder someone with his bare hands. His clear blue eyes were full of hatred. She backed away against the kitchen door and before she could say anything, Ludwig pinned her against the doorframe and shouted in her face. He said just one word.

"SLUT!"

* * *

Second chapter up! Stay tuned, chapter III is on the way!


	3. Chapter III

"SLUT!"

Holy shit, thought Felicia. This is bad.

She put her hands on his chest in a vain attempt to push him away, but he would not move. Even if his left arm was pretty much useless, the rest of his muscles were another story. Ludwig was very tall and very well built. There was no chance that she could defend herself from him if he meant to hit her. So she tried to reason with him.

"What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?" she cried in fear.

He got on her eye level and hissed in her face "So, _Roderich_, eh?"

Felicia could think only two things: "he found the letter!", and "I'm fucked."

Seeing that Felicia avoided to look at him in the eye, he punched the doorframe and yelled

"WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WHILE I RISKED MY LIFE IN THAT FROZEN HELL?"

She could not think straight. She had never been so frightened. She could not believe how scared she was of Ludwig in that moment.

Seeing that he got no answers, Ludwig saw red. He slapped her across the face, making her fall on the ground. Felicia groaned in pain, started crying and clutched her cheek. Ludwig had never, ever hit her. She didn't know what to do.

Ludwig went to where she was liyng.

Felicia cowered in fear.

Ludwig took her by the hair and pulled hard to make her look at him.

Felicia stretched her arms forward to defend herself.

Ludwig spoke.

"You are the worst fucker I've ever met. What the hell were you thinking? What if the Gestapo got you? Eh?"

Felicia cried.

Ludwig got even angrier.

He got up suddenly. He towered over her.

"You... you unbelievable bitch. I loved you. And what did you do when I was away? YOU HELPED JEW RATS OUT!"

Kick.

"YOU CHEATED ON ME WITH ONE OF 'EM!"

Kick.

The blows hit Felicia straight in the stomach. They cut her breath and made her spit blood. She thought about the baby. She was shaking uncontrollably. She tried to get up and get away. She couldn't speak, and not only because of the fear.

Ludwig was beyond himself. He had never been angrier. He hoped that Felicia would say something to defend herself. That she would tell him that it was just a big misunderstanding. But she didn't.

He was furious. He kicked her again. She gave a muffled sound through her tears.

But this time Felicia gathered the strenght to speak.

"... please... let me explain... I didn't..."

"You didn't WHAT?" he yelled. But this time he didn't kick her. Hearing her voice so strained made him calm down a little.

"I didn't... c-cheat on you... I just...helped those people... because they needed... help..."

He was still towering over her. She was still cowering in fear on the ground, but there was blood on the floor now. He was slowly calming down. And slowly realizing what he had just done.

"You... you did! I saw the letter! It says lots of things... this Roderich guy... "with all my love", for fuck's sake!" but he felt he wasn't coherent anymore. He was just trying to justify himself.

And it wasn't working very well.

Felicia felt that he sounded more like himself now, but wanted to get the hell away from him anyway.

"He's just... a friend... he has a … wife already..." she said while crawling away from him.

Ludwig stood there, looking dumbfounded. She reached the kitchen counters with her shaking hands and used them to get up. Her legs were trembling too much though.

Before she could hit the floor again Ludwig was by her side, cradling her protectively in his arms.

But it didn't make her feel any better.


	4. Chapter IV

Ludwig was on his knees beside Felicia, holding her in his arms. He could feel that her shaking had not subsided. She was covering her face with her hands, criyng and wishing to just go back in time and erase the last fifteen minutes from her life. She wanted to go back to her family, to leave Ludwig right then and there and never see his face again. She wanted her brother to go there and shoot Ludwig in the head. She wanted her granddad to show up that moment and disembowel Ludwig with a dagger. She wished with all her might that the baby was alright despite the powerful kicks aimed at her stomach. She wanted her legs to stop shaking so that she could run away from him.

Ludwig on the other hand was feeling even worse. He never knew he had that side in him. He felt awful for having beaten Feli, and he would have given anything to just go back in time and stop himself from hitting her. She was in his arms, but she was trying to avoid contact with him in any way she could. Seeing how frightened she was, he felt like shit. He knew now that nothing that she could have done was worth this. Hell, even if she did cheat on him it was no reason to lose control like that.

"Feli... I'm so sor..."

"Shut up."

"No, listen! I ..."

"SHUT UP!"

Hearing her snap made his mouth go dry. He tried to say something, but no words would come out. He noticed that her shaking was subsiding, so he let her get up. Now it was her that towered over him. She was leaning against the kitchen counters, unsteady on her legs. Her breathing was fast, and she looked very pale. That sight made him feel like the worst fucker ever.

Her stomach was hurting now, and she hoped with all her heart that it was because of the fear and anger.

"You... you son of a bitch! You don't realize what you've done!" she cried.

He was still on his knees. Her words were hitting him like bullets. He looked at the ground, unable to look at her in the eyes. He desperately wanted to say something, but could not find anything that sounded halfway appropriate.

"I should have listened to my granddad when he said not to marry you! You're just like every other nazi guy! Thinking you're high and mighty just because a crazy bastard tells you so! Bossing other people around because they can't defend themselves! YOU DISGUST ME!"

She was so upset that although she had not eaten anything since lunch, she had to turn around and throw up in the sink.

Ludwig sprang to his feet and went to get her hair out of her face. But as soon as he touched her, Feli moved away. He stayed there, with his hand outstretched and his eyes downcast.

"I … I really… I'm _so _sorry..."

The heaving sounds were stopping. It seemed that her stomach had given all that it could, and she felt so faint that standing, even while leaning on the sink, was no longer an option.

She fell to her knees, her auburn hair falling like a curtain over her face.

Ludwig was worried. Did he hit that hard? Was she in so much pain? Should he take her to the hospital?

Feli couldn't even sit anymore. The fear and anger were too strong, and the pain from the blows was getting stronger. She still could not believe what Ludwig had done. She wondered what would have happened if he would have come to his senses later. Would she be dead by now? Or maybe she was dying already, because she felt like all her strenght had been drained from her.

The last thing she saw before falling forward was Ludwig's guilt-ridden face getting closer to hers.

* * *

There goes chapter four. Still so sorry about having to re - upload it all and losing all the reviews...

Gah. better luck next time.


	5. Chapter V

Ludwig was sitting in the waiting room of Berlin's biggest civilian hospital. He was wringing his hands while he waited for Dr. Zwingly to come out of Feli's room and tell him that she was completely alright. He knew already that he would get off scot free, being an officer and all that, and it made him feel even worse. He wanted the police to come and put his ass in jail. He would have gone there on his own legs if that was possible. But it wasn't. So he was sentenced to wait until the doctor was done with Feli, hoping with all his heart that she would be alright.

When he was lost in that train of thought, the door opened. Ludwig sprang to his feet with an anxious expression on his face.

The doctor started with no bows and scrapes.

"You really shouldn't hit your wife like that, Herr Beilschmidt. I don't know what she's done, but that's plain awful. If I didn't know that the police wouldn't do anything to you, I would have called them already."

Ludwig didn't even have the courage to look up. He just said "I know. I feel like shit, doctor. How is she, anyway?"

"Beating her when she's pregnant... that's the lowest point you could reach."

Ludwig's eyes darted to the doctor. What had he just said!

"Pregnant!"

The doctor looked startled for a moment. Then he asked with his voice full of surprise "You didn't know...?"

"Of course I didn't! Holy shit, I hit her in the stomach! Hard! Oh shit! Oh shit!" he put his hands in his hair. "What have I done! Oh Christ! I had no idea... oh shit!"

That was the final blow to Ludwig's already low self – esteem.

The doctor noticed that he was being honest. That didn't stop him from thinking "You poor, sick bastard." What he said though was on a different note.

"Well, from what I could see, both her and the baby are alright. But she'll have to spend the night here, in case she gets stomach cramps or bleeds. Also, absolute rest for at least a week."

Ludwig was still despairing, but he managed to ask if Feli was awake. The doctor said that she was, and that he had somewhere else to be, leaving Ludwig feeling like the biggest son of a bitch on the face of the Earth.

He decided to try and see how Feli was faring. Even if she didn't want to see him, he had to check on her. See that she was alive and well. Ask her about the baby.

He never noticed how heavy can a door be when there is something you really don't want to face on the other side.

Feli was lying in bed with a piece of white gauze on her cheek. She was staring out of the window, and when she saw who had entered the room she returned her gaze to where it was before.

Ludwig sat down on a chair by the bed. He didn't know what to say. And figuring that Feli didn't feel like hearing his teary – eyed apologies right now, he asked something else. He couldn't look at her in the eyes, though.

"How... how do you feel?"

"Bad."

Ouch.

"I'm so sorry..."

"Sure, whatever."

That stung.

"I'm serious! I really, really am!"

"..."

Ludwig understood that he wasn't getting anywhere. So he tried with another topic.

"So... " he coughed. "About the kid..."

Feli let out a groan.

"What about the kid?"

Ludwig was scared of that answer. So he tried to play it safe.

"I... well, how long have you known that?"

"I was sure beyond doubt just yesterday. I planned on telling you tonight after dinner. I didn't really expect to be telling you in a hospital room after you kicked me in the stomach."

That stung even more.

"I... I wish I... I don't even..."

Damn. He wasn't saying one single coherent thing!

"I'm really sorry. I have nothing else to say. Nothing else that I can think of. Whatever you did while I was away is no reason for me to lose control like that. I'm sorry."

Feli was not really moved.

"You really don't understand. I thought you were different from all those other soldiers. That you didn't consider jews and gypsies to be lowlives. I thought that you didn't join the SS because of that. I thought there was hope for you. I was mistaken."

Those words were daggers to Ludwig. In a moment, he saw clearly. He had always had doubts. That was why he never really wanted to join the SS, even if he could. Deep down, he had always known that all of that nazi ideals were complete bullshit. But he had pushed these thoughts in the back of his head. After all, the nazis had helped Germany get back on its feet after the Treaty of Versailles. If only they had stopped there... what his officers always said about people who weren't of Aryan descent suddenly sounded like a crock of shit too. What he fought for didn't sound one bit decent now. What had he fought for anyway? Why had he lost the use of his left arm in Russia? Why had he wanted to be a soldier anyway? Was this what he wanted to be? A pathetic guy who beats people who are weaker than him?

Tears stung his eyes. Before he could hold them back, he was crying uncontrollably. He tried to hide it with his good hand, but it was useless. He slid down from the chair, until he was on his knees. He tried to hold himself up by catching the bed with his hands, but he found that his legs would not obey. So he stayed there on the ground, crying his eyes out.

Feli was stunned. Ludwig had never cried in front of her. Or anyone, for that matter. She didn't know what to say. He seemed truly sorry for what he had done. And he seemed to have been angrier at the thought of her cheating on him rather than her helping the jew people of Germany. She was sure that he would have not reported her to the Gestapo, and that even if he decided to not have anything to do with her activities, he would at least tolerate them and keep his mouth shut.

He had been crying on his knees for a good five minutes when he started begging her.

"Please don't leave me! I'm sorry! I will never do anything like that ever again! I swear to God! I swear on my mother's grave! I swear on... on anything you want me to swear to! I'll do anything! Please forgive me... please... I'm begging you..."

Feli felt a pang of pity for Ludwig. Moments ago, she just wanted to go back to her family and never see him again, but now... he looked so sorry... and he had never begged her on his knees...

She was very moved. He was really feeling very bad about it…

"I... okay... I'll give you a second chance. But that's the only one you're gonna get. Remember that."

Ludwig looked up. His face was still tear – stained, but he was sporting a beaming smile. He got up and sat on the bed. He wanted to hug her, but he decided that holding her hands in his would be enough. She probably was in pain and hugging her tightly wouldn't help, right?

His voice was trembling with emotion while he told her "Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret it! _Ich liebe dich_!"

He kissed her on the cheek and said "Both of you."

Feli let him kiss her, but deep down she couldn't help but worry about the future.


	6. Chapter VI

It had been 5 months since that fateful day. For the first week, Felicia had had to stay either on the bed or on the couch all the time, not being able to do anything that wasn't walking up and down the stairs twice a day and cooking meals (when Ludwig let her). She had been pleasantly surprised when Ludwig offered to actually help her with her "work". At the beginning she thought that he said that just to please her, but soon she had to recognize that he was doing it because he wanted to, giving it his all. He had done pretty much all that she did, going to the houses of people who hid jews to bring money, food and medicine. She could not even imagine the face Elizaveta had made when Ludwig showed up in her stead, dressed in his Wehrmacht uniform. Ludwig had told her that she'd been petrified with fear at the thought of being discovered, but then realised that having a member that was actually working for the Party would of course be an asset. The fact that he was a decorated Captain that got injured fighting bravely on the Russian front made him above all suspects from his peers, subordinates and higher – ups. That was why Ludwig had become one of the key people of the Berlin Resistance, even earning himself the code nome of "Kommander".

Then Feli started getting bigger, thus attracting more attention. That meant she could not go sneaking around anymore, meaning that she would not help the Resistance for a long while.

Feli had not regretted giving Ludwig a second chance. From the day she had come home, he had come back to his usual self. Shy, uptight, easily embarassed, prone to worrying, serious and caring. Now she could be completely honest with him, tell him what she thought and what she did with no problems. And this "new deal" had made their bond grow even deeper. Life was going well for them. The baby was due in more or less three months, she was healthy as could be and they both were very happy. Ludwig had sent his brother a letter, announcing that he would become an uncle in a few months. He had replied "_Though I'm happy that you're having a brat, I hope it takes after me. No offence, but I'm way prettier than you. At least he or she's gonna get an awesome uncle!_". Feli had sent her granddad and brother two separate letters announcing the good news, and she had received two very different answers.

Her grandfather had wrote that he was so very happy about having a new grandchild, that he hoped Ludwig was taking good care of her, that he would visit as soon as he got the chance and that her poor mom would have been beyond herself with happiness. Her brother however wrote _"though I'm very happy about being an uncle, I am going to get myself a machine gun, run all the way to Germany and scatter that fucking potato bastard's balls all over the place." _

She still laughed about that letter. Her big brother Lovino was never very fond of Ludwig anyway, and not only because he was a nazi soldier.

Scratch that, he hated his guts for "taking his sweet, naive little sister's innocence". Little did he know that it was in fact her who had been doing the deflowering. Poor Lovi – had he known, he would have had a stroke.

Feli snapped out of her musings when she heard Ludwig's voice announcing that he was home. She went to the door, took off his jacket and asked him how was work. She noticed that something was wrong when he didn't answer.

"Ludwig? What's the matter?"

Ludwig threw himself on the couch. He undid the first two buttons of his shirt and let his head fall on the backrest. He brought his right arm over his eyes, as if to shut out the light from his vision.

Feli was now sure that something was off.

She sat down beside him, resting her head against his shoulder and petting him on the chest.

"What's wrong, Ludwig?"

Ludwig groaned before answering.

"They are tightening security. They are making extra patrolling rounds starting tonight. It's a matter of days before one of us will get caught. And the Brits are plotting something. And the price of bread will go up again. And the rations are going to be cut again. And I think that fucking private Weil is not as dumb as I wished he were."

Feli knew that Ludwig never whined unless he had a reason. And what he was saying sounded serious. But she tried to comfort him nonetheless.

"Come on, now. You are the one in charge of security, so you just tell us when we can sneak out at night without getting caught, and we'll do it. The Brits are always plotting something, anyway. And as for the price of bread and the rations... it's not your fault. We will get by, don't worry. And Weil... just be careful around him. You're smart, you'll figure it out, I'm sure!"

Ludwig looked at her. How come Feli could always make his worries sound less frightening? Everytime he could not spot a solution, he just needed to talk things over with her and he would realize that he had at least two or three options that he did not even consider by himself. He often wondered if she had always been like that or if she had to learn the hard way.

He smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders. Feli snuggled closer to him, a content smile gracing her features. He brushed his lips on her hair.

"And how was your day?" he asked.

"The usual... Elizaveta came over, we talked about things, the kid kicked pretty much non – stop all day, I cooked, cleaned, painted..."

She snuggled closer to him. "And now I'm kinda tired."

Ludwig tightened the grip around her shoulders a bit and asked her if she felt like taking a nap before dinner. She didn't even reply before closing her eyes. Then her eyes flew open and she said happily "Hey, the baby's kicking! Wanna feel it?"

Ludwig blushed a bit and put his left hand on her belly. He still felt somewhat shy about feeling the baby kick, but he loved it.

"No, not there... here..." she said while getting Ludwig's hand in her own and moving it to where she had felt the movement. They stayed like that a long time, or maybe very short, their hands entwined over the baby bump, just enoying each other's company. And the baby's, of course.

* * *

Ok, re - upload of the fluffy break. Enjoy!


	7. Chapter VI bis

So, I always try to depict realistic emotion, and I felt like the whole "regain - Feli's - trust" thing was not given the attention it deserved. After all, it's a very important part of their relationship. I just had to treat it better, don't you think?

* * *

"Thank you so much for your help! You really are saving our lives!"

Feli and Elizaveta gladly accepted Mrs Schumann thanks. They had brought her a medicine for her son, who was sick. They waved her goodbye and went on their way.

While they were going home, Elizaveta asked Feli "So, how are you feeling? I heard that the first months are the worst for sickness, but after a week of bed rest you look really good."  
Feli smiled and said "I do get morning sickness, but not that severe. I'm just lucky, I guess!"

"And how did Ludwig take it? Was he happy about it?"

Feli's eyes darkened for a moment. Then she answered "It's cool. He's very happy. He's helping me out in any way he can."

Elizaveta noticed that something wasn't right. But Feli was a chatterbox, so if she didn't tell her, it meant she didn't want to talk about it. So she simply nodded, said her goodbyes and went on her way.

Feli walked home. It had been a month since she came home from the hospital. Ludwig had been his usual self, but she could feel that something wasn't right. He never looked at her in the eye, didn't like it when she snuggled close to him in bed and he had never, not even once, touched her belly.

She arrived home and started cooking dinner. She had just put it on the table when Ludwig came back from work.

Feli greeted him with her usual beaming smile, but he simply answered with a half – hearted "Hello".

Feli had decided to not talk until he asked her something, and he didn't seem very interested in starting a conversation. They ate their meal in silence.

After dinner, Ludwig got the dishes and headed straight for bed, leaving a sad Feli in the kitchen. She asked herself what was wrong. Deep down, she feared that he hadn't forgiven her for the help she had been giving to people, but felt too guilty to say anything or criticise her openly.

Feli shook her head. Thinking about it wouldn't make it go away. She decided to take a shower before talking things over with him.

When she was done, she looked at the mirror. She tried to see if her belly had grown, if she looked any different. She couldn't help but smile when she imagined herself in a few months time.

Ludwig was reading in bed. Seeing that Feli wasn't coming, he went to see if she was in the bathroom. He saw her standing sideways, looking at herself in the mirror.

A pang of guilt shot through him.

It was just sheer luck if she had something to check out.

He tried not to think about it.

Feli noticed that he was there. She smiled at him and asked "Hey, do you think I'm showing yet?"

Ludwig blushed and looked away. "No… not really…"

Feli looked at him disappointed. "You haven't even looked at me! How can you tell?"

Ludwig weakly said "I looked, ok? You're not showing."

Feli couldn't stand his cold behavior anymore. She went to him, grabbed one of his hands and put it on her belly.

Ludwig gasped and took it away as if he had burned himself.

Feli was close to crying. "Look, what's your problem? You don't look happy about the kid! You haven't touched my belly even once! You haven't touched _me _in weeks! You don't look at me in the eyes! What's wrong?"

Ludwig was still looking away. What could he say? "That's not true. It's all in your head."

Feli got angry. "How can you say that! I'm here right in front of you and you are looking at the floor!"

Ludwig looked up suddenly. Feli instinctly backed away.

That gesture hurt him. She was still so jumpy around him. Whenever he made a sudden movement she would jump. And the bad thing was that he couldn't blame her. She had been kind enough to give him a second chance, but what he had done would forever stay in her memory. And haunt him.

He gave a deep sigh. Might as well tell her the truth. "How can I look at you in the eyes? How can I touch your stomach?"

Feli caught the guilt in his voice. She let him go on. She knew he had to get things off his chest.

"Look, it's just… you can forgive, but I can't forget! I beat you, Feli. I slapped you in the face and kicked you when you were down. I could have killed the baby. I could have killed _you_. How can I live with that? How can I touch you? You tell me!"

Feli gave a sad smile. She hugged him tight. He went stiff.

"Ludwig… it's okay. It was my fault too."

Ludwig stiffened even more. "What the hell, Feli! How on Earth was that your fault!"

She didn't give up. She was still holding him.

"I'm not saying that you were right. I'm just saying that you can't build something on lies. I should have trusted you. I should have told you what I do for the Resistance before marrying you. If I had done it, you wouldn't have had a reason to lose control."

Ludwig was on the verge of tears. What Feli was saying was true, but still, he was the one that didn't make her feel like she could trust him with her secret "job". He was the one who had gone completely berserk and hit her.

"I'm sorry for having lied to you before. And you're sorry for having beaten me. But people go wrong sometime. What we can do now is either accept it and move on, or get a divorce."

Ludwig gasped. A divorce? No way!

"NO! I mean… it's not… I don't want to leave you, Feli. I…"

He blushed.

"I still love you. So much."

Feli smiled. She was still hugging him.

"Then it's settled. We're accepting it and moving on?"

Ludwig looked at her in the eyes for the first time in weeks. And finally, he smiled.

"Yes."

He returned her hug and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Feli tightened her grip around him.

Then she felt Ludwig's hand rest on her belly.

And for the first time, on his own free will.

She stood on the tip of her toes and brushed her lips on his.

"So, does this mean I can snuggle to your side in bed tonight?"

* * *

There. I have to say I am very, very pleased with it. Sorry if it interrupted the plot. And now, on with the story!


	8. Chapter VII

"Captain Beilschmidt, can I have a word with you? In private?"

Ludwig inwardly cringed. Fucking private Weil... he would never leave him alone. He didn't feel like wasting time at the Headquarters when his shift was over, pretty much everyone had gone home and he knew that Feli was making lasagne for dinner. Fuck.

"I actually don't have much time tonight. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"I don't think so, Captain. I have found out something that could pretty much help us locate some of the dissidents here in Berlin."

Ludwig went cold. What had he just said?

He decided that, however good Feli's lasagne were, this was more important.

"Alright, private Weil. Tell me." he answered with his no – bullshit tone.

Weil said "Not here, Captain. We could be overheard. If you could follow me..."

This is not good at all, thought Ludwig. But what could he do?

"Alright. Lead the way."

Weil gave a pleasant smile and started walking in front of him. Ludwig followed him with his hand on the gun. If the little fucker had found out something that he didn't want to be overheard, that could only mean one thing. He had found out that there was someone he could not trust with such information right at the Headquarters. It meant that he had worked out that there must be a double agent among the military. Fuck. Shit. Shit and fuck.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't notice that someone had caught a whiff of what was going on and was following them.

They were walking for some time now. They were in a pretty dark part of Berlin. And Ludwig did not like it at all.

"Private Weil, even if you have such valuable information, I seriously doubt that walking all the way across Berlin will help. So, talk. Now."

Weil suddenly turned around with his gun aimed at Ludwig's head.

"Fuck." was the only thing that Ludwig thought.

But Ludwig was a soldier. This was not the first time he had a gun aimed at his head. So he was able to keep his cool.

"I hope you understand the gravity of your actions, Weil. Pointing a gun at a Captain could cost you three years of jail. In Poland."

"Shut up, motherfucker!" Weil had a crazy look in his eyes. "Do you think I'm dumb? You thought I didn't work out that you are the fucking mole?"

Ludwig kept his composed attitude. "Maybe you are forgetting that I received several medals because of my deeds in Russia, private Weil. Why would I put that all in jeopardy just to undermine the Party?"

Weil was not impressed.

"What the hell do I know. I just have rock hard evidence that you are, indeed, a fucking double agent!"

Ludwig tried to keep his cool. He spat mockingly "Oh, I'm sure that you have already run off to Reiter telling him that you found the sneak, uh? That's funny. 'Hey Colonel, guess who the spy was! Captain Beilschmidt, would you believe that!' Ah! Enjoy being sent to Poland, you pathetic fuck!"

Weil looked uncertain for a moment. Ludwig took advantage of that slip and got his own gun out. Weil didn't have any fighting experience and didn't have lightning - fast reflexes, unlike Ludwig. But he managed to fire his gun a second before Ludwig's bullet hit him between his eyes.

* * *

"What was that?"

"A gunshot! It was a gunshot!"

"Holy shit! There are two soldiers on the ground here!"

"Are they alive?"

"No, this one's gone."

"And the other one?"

"Shit, he's alive! Call an ambulance!"

Ludwig couldn't hear the fussing people very well. He was slipping in and out of consciousness. He felt his blood getting out of a wound. And from the amount of pain, it wasn't a nice clean one. He was going numb and could not work out where the bullet had hit. He started going cold.

"This is Russia all over again" he thought. Before closing his eyes he realized that he had not even kissed Feli goodbye that morning. Or asked her how the baby was doing. Or told her "I love you" in ages.

The last thing he saw before giving in to the cold was a pair of clear green eyes in front of him.

* * *

Oh man. I don't know what to say. Just that I hope you are enjoying this story, thank you so much for reading it and that I've noticed that some fellow Italians are reading this! I'm so excited! Ciao guys! Spero vi piaccia la mia fic! Continuate a leggerla, né!

BTW, I am posting a humor fic called "Of potions and vital regions". You guys check it out! It's already finished too and I'm uploading it fast.

Yeah I know. Shameless self - advertising. I should be ashamed of myself. =P


	9. Chapter VIII

Felicia was pacing around the living room. Ludwig was two hours late.

He was never late.

Felicia hoped that he would come home and say something like "Sorry I'm late. They gave me a ton of paperwork to fill out by tomorrow!"

She was growing more and more restless. She couldn't stop her anxious pacing. She could not sit down. She glanced at the clock. If he was not home in ten minutes, she would go to the headquarters by herself to check on him.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she jumped a mile in the air when she heard someone knock at the door.

Trying to calm her racing heart, she went to the door hoping to see Ludwig. But why would he knock? He had the keys...

She opened the door to see a tall, dark blond man with piercing green eyes and thick eyebrows dressed in a SS uniform.

Feli was really close to freaking out. Ludwig was late and an SS soldier was at her door. That could not mean good news.

"Mrs Felicia Beilschmidt?"

Feli swallowed before anwering "Yes, that's me. You are...?"

"I'm SS Colonel Hans Reiter, ma'am. I'm your husband's superior."

Feli thought she was going to faint.

"Is Ludwig alright?" she asked, not even trying to be polite to the man, invite him inside and offer him something to drink.

Colonel Reiter looked away and coughed. He hadn't known that Beilschmidt's wife was pregnant...

Feli started shaking. She couldn't speak. She was afraid of asking him what had happened.

Reiter said "I'm afraid I have bad news. You may want to sit down."

Feli started feeling nauseous. However, she followed Colonel Reiter's advice. She went to the couch and sat there, trying to calm down.

Colonel Reiter sat down next to her. He coughed again and started speaking without looking at her.

"Captain Beilschmidt has been involved in an... accident."

Feli gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her breath was becoming faster.

"He was found in a dark alleyway with a bullet in his stomach and a dead man in front of him." then he noticed that Feli had gone pale as a sheet.

He hastily added "Uhm, he's still alive, ma'am."

Feli couldn't believe her ears. She started crying in relief.

"Thank God, thank God for that!"

"Uhm, ma'am, I won't lie to you. He has lost a lot of blood. Things are not looking too well for him at the moment."

But Feli was just too happy. "He'll pull through, I know he will! He's strong, if you managed to get him to the hospital he will be alright! Oh, thank God! When can I see him?"

"Soon. But ma'am, I need to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"

Feli was feeling very relieved and confident. She felt this was the best time to be answering tricky questions. Even if her answers were not similar to those that Ludwig would have given, she could still blame it on the shock.

"Of course, Colonel."

Reiter started.

"Do you know a man by the name of Heinrich Weil?"

"Not personally. Ludwig always said he couldn't get him off his back, though."

"What did he mean with that?"

"I don't know. He never talks about work with me, but I guess he meant that this Weil guy was bothering him in a way or the other."

"He was the dead body we found next to your husband."

"Oh."

"Okay, never mind. Do you think your husband had enemies?"

"I don't think so... no one in particular..."

"Why do you think Beilschmidt has ended up in such a situation?"

"I... I have no idea. I guess Weil tried to kill Ludwig and he just defended himself. That's what I think. Now, can I go to the hospital? I want to see him."

"One last thing, ma'am. A witness says that Weil asked your husband to talk to him in private about the spy that's been undermining the Party. Why do you think Weil felt that it was not safe to talk at the headquarters?"

Feli understood what he meant with that question, but decided to play dumb.

"I really don't know, Colonel. I'm not a soldier, and I don't know what kind of guy Weil was. Can I please, please go to the hospital now?"

Reiter was not satisfied with her answers. This woman had answered in a very neutral way, trying not to attract his attention on anything in particular. A woman whose husband was nearly killed would have told lots of things, maybe not very reliable, but she would have at least made one or two names... this Felicia girl instead had been very vague. He thought that maybe she didn't love her husband very much, but her reactions were so emotional... a woman that half – faints just because she thinks her husband is in trouble has to be in love.

His sixth sense was tingling. He smelled lies.

"Very well, ma'am. Come with me. I'll take you there with my car. If you could follow me..."

Feli felt uneasy. She could tell that Reiter was not buying it. But she couldn't decline his offer. She had no car, and refusing to go with him when she was obviously aching to see Ludwig would have been way too suspicious... shit.

"Uhm... okay, thank you very much. I'll get my coat."

Reiter nodded his head and went to the door. Feli followed him, hoping that this didn't end up in the mess she feared.

Once they were in the car, Reiter's attitude changed completely.

"You know what I think, ma'am?" he asked bluntly.

Feli swallowed. "I don't know, Herr Reiter."

"Well, I think that you are lying. That your beloved Ludwig is the sneak we are looking for."

Feli tried to keep her cool. She had been in tight spots before, but never in a situation where she couldn't escape. She was in a locked car with an armed men from the SS who believed her husband to be a double agent.

"I... I really... that can't..."

Reiter gave a triumphant smile. Her reaction was a dead giveaway. He went even farther.

"And you know what else, miss? I'm sure you have known all along. And that you are in fact helping him."

Feli was getting scared. "No, you're wrong! Ludwig would never..."

"No bullshit, ma'am. Now, if you confess right here, I might spare your life. If you don't, you and your kid are going to get a one – way ticket to Poland, if you know what I mean."

Feli was scared, but she managed to keep herself together. She tried to see what Reiter thought.

"And if I was to confess, what would happen to Ludwig?"

Reiter laughed. "He knew what was coming to him. If you confess, Beilschmidt will be put on trial for high treason. But I will make sure that you will not get in any trouble. That's what will happen. Think about it, ma'am. What would your husband want? Would he want you to give your life and your kid's for his? Or would he use his own to save the both of you?"

Feli was biting her nails. Ludwig would have wanted her to be safe, but knowing what would happen to him, how could she betray him? High treason trials were always the same. In a week's time Ludwig would have been executed, leaving a big gap in her heart and in the Berlin Resistance. A role that she could not fill in as well as he did. No other soldiers that she knew of would be willing to take his place after seeing what had happened to him. And besides, she had no evidence that Reiter would have kept his promise.

But on the other hand, if there was a tiny bit of hope for her and the baby, it was confessing.

Reiter looked at her straight in the eyes. He seemed to be looking right through her.

"Come on, Mrs Beilschmidt. Tell me 'I confess' and I will do what I can to keep you safe..."

"_Perdonami, Ludwig..."_ she thought. She closed her eyes and hid her face in her hands before answering "I don't know what you are talking about, Colonel Reiter."

* * *

_Perdonami_: forgive me

Oh! Oh! The suspense!


	10. Chapter IX

Reiter was speechless. The woman had refused to confess!

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, ma'am. I'll ask you again. Do you confess?"

Feli was still hiding her face. She could not betray Ludwig. She knew that he would have done the same thing for her, so how could she hand him to the Gestapo on a silver platter? Besides, Reiter did not look like he took too kindly to traitors. And if she confessed, she would be one. Might as well be a traitor for the right cause and not to save her own life. She started crying.

"I really have nothing that I would want to confess to you, Herr Reiter. Not about Ludwig and not about me."

Reiter stayed silent for a moment. Then he laughed. But it was not a joyless, "supervillain" laugh. It was an honest one. Feli looked up at him, thinking that he went insane right then and there.

"I'm very glad you proved to be trustworthy, ma'am. You made the right decision."

It was Feli's turn to be speechless. She looked at him as if he was an alien.

Reiter took his peaked hat off and ran a hand through his dark blond hair.

"I'm in the Resistance too. When I heard what happened to Beilschmidt, I made sure to be the one in charge of the case. I didn't know you were involved in it too. I figured Beilschmidt had a normal, German wife. I was mistaken. And I'm very glad that you decided to save him instead of betraying the Resistance."

Feli managed to get her voice back.

"You're lying! If you were in the Resistance, Ludwig would have told me! He tells me everything!"

Reiter turned the car on. "That's because Beilschmidt has no idea. No one but you knows what I do. That's my strenght. No one has ever betrayed me because of that." he started driving towards the hospital.

"It can't be! If you were in the Resistance, I would know! Ludwig would!"

Reiter sighed. "That's exactly why no one has to know. Who do you think put your husband in charge of security? Who do you think forges extra food stamps? Who do you think followed your husband when he walked out of the Headquarters with Weil? You are the only one who knows, but I made sure I can trust you. So please, do not tell anybody but Beilschmidt."

Feli felt so relieved she could cry.

"I had no idea there were other soldiers... an SS colonel, even..."

Reiter bitterly answered "Do not get used to it. Me and Beilschmidt are the only ones in Berlin. Never, ever trust a soldier. Especially an SS one. We are just exceptions. Remember that."

Then he added "You know, I've been a double agent ever since I joined the SS. It was difficult, but I figured that if I wanted to be of some help, I needed to work within the Party. I've seen the most horrible things... no one would believe me if I said them. But I have always been alone. Always working on my own, occasionally helping people without them knowing it was me. That was why I noticed that Beilschmidt had changed. Don't worry, no one else but me and Weil did. I'm really glad I trusted my instincts and followed him today. He would have been dead if I wasn't there."

Feli felt a rush of gratitude. "Thank you, Colonel Reiter! Thank you so much!"

Reiter blushed a bit. He kept on driving, making small talk with her. Felicia was very happy to have gained such a powerful ally.

When they arrived at the hospital, Reiter said goodbye and went away, saying that he would go and see how Ludwig was in the morning.

Feli thanked him and got in the hospital. She immediately spotted Dr. Zwingly. He was the one who had taken care of her went Ludwig had beaten her. And he was the one who was keeping an eye on her pregnancy.

He too saw Feli. He walked towards, politely greeting her.

"Hello, Mrs Beilschmidt. How are you?"

"I'm fine, doctor. Is Ludwig awake? I want to see him."

The doctor smiled. "Yes, he is. He lost a lot of blood, but the wound was nothing special. I've seen far worse. He'll have to stay in the hospital for a week or so, but I do not think he's in any danger."

Feli sighed in relief. Then she followed Dr. Zwingly to Ludwig's room.

Ludwig was pale as a sheet, but otherwise fine. His lips were white and his eyes had a strained look. But he smiled at Feli nonetheless.

"Ludwig! Oh my God, I was so scared..."

She threw herself in his arms, only to cause Ludwig to groan in pain. She let him go as if she had burned herself.

"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

He replied with a low, tired voice. "It's ok, don't worry." then, he motioned for her to get closer and said under his breath in her ear "I'm in deep shit."

Feli understood what he was talking about. But he didn't know that they had Reiter on their side.

She smiled to him and said "Don't worry. I can't tell you now, but you have nothing to worry about. You're safe. We're safe."

He looked puzzled for a moment.

She chuckled and told him "I'm completely sure. I know what I'm saying."

Ludwig looked at her and gave a small smile. "If you say so..." he said before falling asleep.

Feli smiled. She tucked him under the covers and brushed some stray bangs from his eyes. She kissed him on the forehead and slid under the covers with him.

Thanking God for their luck, she spent the next few hours just staying there, watching him as he peacefully slept, before Dr. Zwingly came in and announced her that visiting hours were over at least four hours ago.

* * *

Ok. Sadly, Reiter is just Reiter. No Arthur.

Funny thing is, when I decided Reiter's appearance, I never noticed that green eyes, dark blond hair and thick eyebrows would make people think of Arthur. The face of Reiter is clear in my mind, and it has nothing to do with Iggy.

Yes. I'm just that stupid.

Please don't kill me!

And thanks for the reviews! They make me so happy!


	11. Chapter X

Things were well once again. Ludwig had come home unharmed, and though very weak for the first week he was out of the hospital, he was fine. If they had more access to meat he would have recovered earlier, but meat was running short. Like everything else. The fact that Ludwig refused it the rare times they actually had it to have Feli eat it did not help.

He had been stunned when Feli told him about Reiter. How could that stuck up SS officer son of a bitch be a spy too? He could not believe it. But he did a very good job of covering the whole Weil accident up. It turned out that Weil had not told anyone about his suspects, and that helped matters a lot. So the case was closed as "personal defence" without no one doubting it. Who could? Colonel Reiter in person had said that there was really nothing more to it. And doubting Captain Beilschmidt... that had seemed downright stupid to all the workers of the Headquarters. Thank God.

Ludwig and Feli were in bed. Feli had entered her eighth month, and though healthy, she tended to get tired very easily. Ludwig was doing all he could to help her out with chores, and he didn't have to insist very much since Feli always put up a pathetic resistance.

Ludwig hugged her closer. Feli snaked an arm around his waist and gave him a tender smile.

"I've been thinking about names, you know." he said.

Typical Ludwig. Feli was sure he had started thinking names a week after discovering she was pregnant. She asked "Really? And what have you thought about?"

"I'd like Friedrich for a boy and Elsbeth for a girl."

"Eh? Both German names? That's not fair..." she pouted while getting closer.

"Well... I don't know many Italian names, and seeing that we live in Germany... I thought it was a good idea...?"

He was a little hesitant. Feli adored his random bouts of cuteness. He was always so serious and sure of what he had to do, so making him insecure was one of her favourite pastimes.

"I don't know... I've always wanted to call my kids like my parents... I don't remember them very well, but from what my grandpa tells me, they were good guys."

Ludwig brushed a bang away from her eyes.

"And what were they called? You never told me."

"My dad's name was Giuseppe and my mother's was Anna Maria, though everyone called her Anita."

"That's difficult. I'm not sure I can even pronounce your dad's name..."

"Giuseppe. Like Joseph. Come on, try, it's not difficult."

"Jew – sap – pay?"

She laughed. "Definitely not. Joo – zap – peh."

Ludwig sighed. "I could never get it right. How about Joseph?"

Feli pouted. "Naaaw. It's still a German name. Might as well call him Friedrich..."

"Oh come on. It's not my fault if your language is impossible."

"Excuse me, MY language comes directly from the Roman Empire, whereas YOURS from a lance - wielding tribe!"

"How dare you!" gasped Ludwig. He got on top of her and started tickling her.

"Aaargh... ahaha Ludwig, stop... ahahah! Stop!" Feli was laughing and squirming under him, trying to make him stop.

"No way! You have to say sorry!"

"Ahah... never..."

"Then prepare to be tickled to death!"

Feli was still trying to get him off her and he was still tickling her when they heard a loud explosion that made the glass on the window shake.

Feli yelled and Ludwig stopped immediately to go look at the window.

Bombs! The Allies were bombing Berlin! Fuck!

"Feli! Get dressed now! You're going to the shelter!"

Feli sprang to her feet as fast as she could and obeyed. But she didn't like the way he said "you" instead of "we".

Ludwig put on his uniform while instructing her about what she had to do.

"And you? What are you going to do?" she asked, scared to hear the answer.

"I'm going to the Headquarters. Come on now, are you ready? I'll take you to the shelter."

"No! I don't want to go there if you don't come!"

Ludwig knew they didn't have much time. He got her by the arm and started pulling her towards the door. But she was resisting.

"This is no time to throw a tantrum! Come on, walk! We have to get out of here!"

She was crying and trying not to be dragged away while she said "No! I'm not going alone! You're coming too!"

Ludwig was getting impatient. He could hear other explosions in the distance.

"Feli, STOP IT! Don't make me carry you!" he shouted.

Feli shivered. Ludwig was dead serious.

She gave in. He was stronger than her, and if need be, he could carry her one handed. The only thing she was doing there was wasting time.

Ludwig sighed in relief. "Good girl. Come on, the longer we stay here, the more danger we're in."

Feli was crying all the time while she was being dragged by Ludwig to their area's designated bomb shelter. Her stomach was hurting, and she was sure it was because of the fear. When they got there, people were already crowding it, and the soldier that had to close it was not in the mood to wait for latecomers.

Feli hesitated.

Ludwig cursed. Would she get in already!

"Come on, get in. I have to go. I'll be fine. Now go!"

Feli was still there, shaking and crying. She didn't want to go there on her own, but she couldn't go with him.

The soldier was getting mad with impatience. "Come on, the two of you! We don't have all night!"

Ludwig barked "Shut up, you idiot!" thus silencing the soldier. Then he looked at Feli. "Come on, Feli. I'll be back in a few hours. I'll be fine."

A bomb fell really close, making the ground vibrate. People shouted for them to get a move already.

Feli felt a strong pain in her stomach that was making her see stars, but tried to keep her voice even when she gave in.

"Okay. Please be safe!" she hugged him and kissed him all over his face. "_Ti amo_."

Ludwig hugged her back for a moment before pushing her in the shelter, finally pleasing the poor soldier. "_Ich liebe dich auch_! I'll see you later."

Then he ran all the way to the Headquarters. It was still standing, but it looked damaged. He got in and saw soldiers running frantically up and down the stairs carrying papers and looking for people.

"Beilschmidt! You came!"

Ludwig turned around to see Colonel Reiter. He saluted. "Yes sir, of course I did. What's going on? Is it the British?"

Colonel Reiter nodded. "Yes, indeed. We have destroyed a couple aircrafts, but there are just so many... we can't keep them at bay. The anti – aircraft guns are going full throttle, but they can't work wonders."

Ludwig cursed under his breath.

Colonel Reiter gave him a pat on the shoulder and said "This is going to be a long night, _Kommander. _Prepare yourself."

* * *

Soooo... if someone catches the meaning behind Feli's parents' names, you are geniuses. Unless youìre South American or Italian, in which case I'm sure you got it right away.


	12. Chapter XI

Felicia was in the shelter. The bombs had destroyed the electrical cables, so it was pitch – black there. She hated to admit it, but she was still scared of the dark. And being there without knowing if Ludwig was fine was making her fear increase tenfold. Plus, her stomach was still killing her. It was a sharp pain that went from her back to her belly. And it was never leaving for more than five minutes. The baby was scared and kicking away. She was trying to calm the kid down by rubbing her belly, but it didn't seem to work. This was the scariest night of her life.

She wanted to talk to someone, but there was complete silence in the room. She tried to keep her mind off Ludwig and the pain by thinking of her family back home. She wondered how they were doing. Did Lovi find himself a girl yet? Did grandpa still work or did he retire? Were they fighting in the Italian resistance? When would she be able to see them again?

Her train of thought was disrupted when she felt a strange, faint popping inside her. Then she felt a gush of something that seemed hot water leave her.

Holy shit!, she thought. Did her water break just now! ? Oh man. Talk about timing!

The guy (or girl) that was standing next to her jumped. "What the hell!"

Oh. It was a guy. "Hey you! Did you just pee?" said the guy, annoyed.

Feli felt a strong pain (now she recognized it: it was a contraction) and answered through gritted teeth "I didn't pee, asshole! My water just broke!"

In the once silent room there was a small uproar. The soldier groaned and complained "Not on my watch..."

The guy seemed genuinely sorry for his remark. "Oh... sorry, I had no idea... hey, is there a midwife or something here?"

The room went silent again. Then a female voice answered "Alright, since no one can help I guess it'll have to be me." there were some other sounds, and then the voice sounded much closer. "Come on girl, you'll be fine. I'm not a midwife, but I gave birth to four kids. I think I can help."

Feli mumbled a breathless "thank you". She was very scared. She had no idea as to what was going to happen, just that it would hurt a lot and be very dangerous. The fact that she was in a pitch black place and that she could hear explosions coming from above did little to improve her mood.

The woman said "You sound young. Is this your first kid?"

Feli answered with a faint voice "Yes."

The woman let out a sigh. "Perfect. Alright then, let's see what we can do. Hey, is there anyone in here that has something close to clean towels?"

A young, male voice that came from the other side of the room answered "Uhm, I have a clean blanket. Is that ok?"

The woman said "Sounds good enough. Bring it here, kid."

Then a girl's voice said "I have some matches, if someone has a candle..."

An old man said "I have a candle, but it's small... I hope it will do..."

Feli was somewhat moved. She was in a room full of faceless strangers who were forfeiting important things such as candles and blankets to help her out. It brightened her mood a bit.

The improvised midwife said "Alright child, what's your name?"

"F – Felicia..."

"Felicia, then. I'm Frida. Don't be scared, it'll be fine. We'll manage. Stay calm and listen to everything I say, ok?"

"...ok..." then she groaned. A new contraction made her double over in pain. While the pain got stronger and stronger, she wished Ludwig were with her.

* * *

Colonel Reiter shouted "They're retreating! We made it! Good job, guys! You didn't die on me!"

It was nearing dawn. Ludwig collapsed on the ground, his breath ragged. He had had to stay up all night shouting orders and receiving them, and in the end they had managed to make the airplanes go back with medium damages to the city and a relatively low amount of casualties.

Ludwig stretched, making his back crack. He hoped Feli was alright and that she had not been worrying herself sick.

Colonel Reiter clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright kids, we're done here. The guys that don't have a shift right now can go home. The others will stay. I know that you're tired, but I don't give a damn."

Ludwig got up. He was lucky to not have the morning shift right now, 'cause he felt like throwing himself in bed and not get up for a week. He said goodbye to Reiter and went to the shelter. If his calculations were right, the area where he lived had been mostly unharmed.

When he arrived there, the soldier on shift was helping people getting out of the shelter. Ludwig noticed he wasn't wearing his uniform jacket.

"Captain." he saluted.

"At ease, private. What's the situation here?" he inquired.

"No casualties whatsoever, Captain."

He sighed in relief. "Very well."

"Actually, there was one. A baby was born tonight, right here in the shelter. Had to give the kid my jacket to keep him warm!"

Ludwig was surprised, but didn't make the connection right away. After all, Feli was still pretty far from her due date.

"A kid? Really? Who's the mother?"

"An Italian girl, Captain. Gave birth to a healthy baby boy."

Ludwig's eyes widened. "An Italian girl? Felicia?"

"Right, Captain! That's her name!"

"Holy shit, that's my wife!"

The soldier looked pretty stunned. "Oh, really? Congratulations, then!"

Ludwig didn't even bother to say thank you. "Where is she? Is she still inside?"

"Yes sir, she's still the..."

He didn't even wait for the private to finish his sentence. He dashed inside.

He found Feli sitting there, with a tiny baby wrapped in a military jacket in her arms. She looked very tired, but was she beaming and cooing at the sleeping baby. A middle – aged woman was sitting by her, giving her some kind of instructions on what to do in case the kid got colicky.

"Feli!"

Feli looked up. She smiled widely and said "It's a boy, Ludwig! Look, isn't he just beautiful? You're a daddy now!"

Ludwig sat down by her, his gaze full of awe. The woman coughed and excused herself, leaving the new parents on their own.

He looked at the sleeping baby. He was tiny and had a little tuft of blond hair, the exact same color of his own. His skin looked fair, or maybe it was just because of the contrast with Feli's olive complexion. He also noticed that he had a single curly hair sticking out.

Feli snapped him out of his thought. "Aw, come on Ludwig. Don't cry."

Ludwig's hand flew to his cheek. He hadn't realised that he was crying. He blushed and wiped the tears, ruefully defending himself with a half – hearted "I'm not crying!"

Feli chuckled but said no more. Ludwig relaxed a bit and asked her if he could hold the little one.

"Of course! Here, gently..." she said while carefully handing the boy over to his father.

Ludwig was holding him as if he might break, but he had a beautiful, sweet smile on his face.

"So, is he Friedrich, Joseph or Joo – sap – pay?"

Feli simply said "The woman who helped me tonight was named Frida. I guess that's just destiny. Besides, he looks like a Friedrich."

Ludwig smiled and kissed her forehead. Then he looked closely at the baby's tiny face.

"He looks like me..."

Feli couldn't help but agree. The boy was still too young to tell if he looked like his mom or dad, but she could already see that he did remind her of Ludwig.

But he had her trademark curl in his hair. Smiling at that thought, she rested her head on his shoulder. Ludwig lifted his arm to circle Feli's shoulders and whispered in her hear.

"I'm proud of you. I love you both."

Feli closed her eyes and sleepily answered "Me too..."

* * *

le sigh. I wanted the kid to be a girl, but I decided the gender by flipping a coin, so it would actually be random like in real life. But still...!

Imagine the kid as HRE. That's what I want him to look like =D


	13. Chapter XII

Friedrich was sleeping peacefully, but it was a very dark, sleepless night for Ludwig and Feli. Marshal Badoglio had just announced that Italy was done with the war. That meant that Germany was on its own against the world.

After the bombings, Ludwig had been increasingly worried. There was no denying that the war was going according to his deepest fears. He knew very well that they were fighting on the wrong side, but he could not really wish for Germany to lose the war. If that happened, the German people, Nazis or not, would have been royally screwed. Ludwig could not even contemplate the thought. However much he hated the Nazi Party, he loved Germany. That was why he was risking his life in the Resistance, to eliminate the Nazis and have his beautiful, free Germany back. He cringed in fear at the thought of what the Allies would have done to Germany if the war was lost.

Feli instead had been relieved. She knew that the German troops that were still in Italy were very angry and that the partisans were still fighting for their lives, but the fact that the war was over was a wonderful thing. She just wanted to go back home, bring Ludwig and Friedrich with her and see her grandpa and Lovino again.

Ludwig was sitting perfectly motionless when Feli decided to talk.

"Ludwig... I've been thinking."

Ludwig snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. She had a very determined look, which was pretty rare. He nodded his head to make her go on.

"Why don't we go back to Venice?"

Ludwig looked at her, a stunned look in his eyes.

"What?"

"Come on. You can't deny that the war is not going like they want us to think. You and I know very well how it will end. So why do we have to stay here and wait for the Allies to kill us here while we could be safer in Italy?"

Ludwig said nothing. Feli cried out in exasperation.

"Come on! We can't stay here! What if we get caught in another bombing? What if something happens to Friedrich?"

"I can't leave, Felicia. You know very well I can't. But you and Friedrich are free to go. Actually, you should go."

"I'm not going anywhere without you!"

"Be reasonable."

"No, you be reas..."

she couldn't even finish the sentence. Someone was knocking at the door. But the rhythm of the knocks told them one thing: one of the dissidents was at their door.

Ludwig got up with his gun in hand. He went to the door and opened it.

Feli let out a scream. Reiter was there, leaning on the door frame, his legs shaking, badly injured and bleeding.

"Shit! Feli, help me get him in! Colonel, are you ok? What happened?"

While Ludwig was helping him to their couch, Reiter spit some blood and said weakly "I'm sorry. They figured me out."

Ludwig cursed. Feli gasped.

Feli tried to tend to the Colonel's wounds, but he was bleeding too much. There was no way to help him.

"You guys... you guys run away. They figured us out. I don't know how they did it..."

After having said that, Reiter closed his eyes.

Feli shook him, tried to call his name, but he didn't answer.

He wasn't breathing anymore.

The man who had saved Ludwig's life and managed to keep them all out of a camp in Poland had died.

Feli started weeping. It was not fair. An honourable man like him, killed like a dog. Bled out like a pig for slaughter.

Ludwig was starting to lose his cool. If they knew who they were, then there was no way they could take the first train to somewhere. And they didn't have a car. What were they supposed to do? Ludwig wanted to bang his head on the wall.

He looked at Feli. She was still sitting by Reiter, crying. Ludwig's head was spinning. They were fucked. What could they do now?

Friedrich's wails got them back to reality. Feli's head jerked up. She wiped her tears, shakily got up and quickly went to get him, trying to make him go back to sleep. Ludwig followed her. He didn't feel comfortable to have them out of his sight at that moment.

Feli was thinking at an alarming speed, looking for possible solutions. And the only one that she could think of was also the most difficult one.

"Let's go to your father, Ludwig."

Ludwig thought he didn't hear that right. "I beg your pardon?"

Feli looked sure of what she was saying. "Let's go to your father! He is above all suspicions! He's a General! No one will think he's hiding people, even if it's his son's family!"

Ludwig coughed. "That's exactly why we can't go there. He's going to take our asses to the Gestapo in a heartbeat. And you know I haven't talked to him very much ever since... well..."

That was right. When Ludwig married Feli after just six months from their first meeting, his father had not been very pleased. Herr Beilschmidt senior was Feli's grandfather's most important colleague when she and her family went to Germany. He had had a huge role in Ludwig and Feli's encounter, and he was still regretting it. He wanted his son to marry a nice, blond, blue – eyed German girl, and he never really got over the fact that he didn't. Especially when Ludwig's marriage had made him a relative of the very annoying Romano Vargas. That was why he had come to see Friedrich a week after he was born, but had not showed up ever since. Neither him nor Ludwig felt like seeing a lot of each other.

"Come on, Ludwig! We have to try! We can't take the train and we surely can't walk all the way to Italy! And we can't go around with Friedrich, we would attract too much attention! We have to try!"

Ludwig sighed and rubbed his eyes. She was right. If there was a tiny little bit of hope to make it, it was his father. There was no choice. If his father didn't hide them away, they might as well sit down on their couch and wait for the Gestapo to come knocking at their door.

"Ludwig! Say something!"

Ludwig sat down. He ran his hands through his blond hair. Then he sighed, swallowed his pride and said "Get Friedrich. We're going to my father."


	14. Chapter XIII

Gerhart Beilschmidt woke up to a knocking sound. Still sleepy, he looked at the watch on his bedside table. Four fifteen? Who was the son of a bitch that went to other people's houses at four fifteen in the night? He decided to ingore it. Maybe if he didn't get the door, they would just go away...

The knocking continued. Gerhart groaned, but got out of bed. He tied his long, graying blond hair in a ponytail, put a dressing gown on and went to the door, ready to chew out whoever was on the other side.

What he saw when he opened the door surprised him. His youngest son was there with his wife and newborn brat. He looked at them as if they were ghosts.

Ludwig coughed in his hand and said "Uhm... hello, father. Could we get in...?"

Gerhart was still standing there, motionless as a statue.

Then he moved away from the door and made them come in.

Feli had always loved that house. It was big and tastefully furnished. It was exactly in that house that she had seen Ludwig for the first time...

She sat down on an armchair with Friedrich in her arms. He was awake, but not crying, just squirming and moving his little hands around. She rocked him to try and make him go back to sleep.

Gerhart got his voice back. "What the fuck is going on here?" he asked with the same voice he used when Ludwig would not behave when he was a kid.

Ludwig sat down on the armrest next to Feli. "I'm sorry, father. But we're in deep sh... trouble. We need a place to lie low for a while."

Gerhart's eyes widened.

"Excuse me! ?"

"The Gestapo is looking for us. They won't even bother with a trial if they get us, they'll kill us on the spot. Please, I'm begging you!"

Gerhart did not understand. What could his son have done to have the Gestapo look for him with such a passion?

Unless...

"For the love of God, tell me you didn't join the Resistance."

Ludwig blushed, but did not look away from his father's eyes.

Gerhart burst out "Why, isn't that just perfect! What the fuck were you thinking, uh? And now you come crawling to me with your wife and brat in the middle of the night and ask me to hide the three of you out? Are you listening to yourself!"

Ludwig lost his cool. "Well, sorry if I thought that my own father would help me out! Do you think I'm happy to be here? Do you think that I would have come if this wasn't the only possible way for us to not be shot in the head?"

Gerhart got even angrier. "Don't you talk with me like that, young man! I'm your father!"

"Well, then you're a lousy one! You've always been!"

Feli felt the air grow cold.

This was not good.

She tried to make things better.

"If I can say someth..."

Feli's voice grated on Gerhart's nerves. "Shut up, you bitch! Do you think I don't know that you made my son work for the Resistance? For once in your life, SHUT UP!"

Feli cowered and shut up.

Ludwig got angry.

"Don't you talk to Feli like that! You have no right!"

"I'll talk to her however I see fit, you brat! And since you are in my house uninvited, yes, I do believe I have the right to talk to her in whatever way I goddamn feel like!"

"I don't give a damn where the hell we are! You watch your language when you talk to my wife!"

"What? Do you think you can give me orders in my own house?"

"If you're being a dick to Feli, then yes, I can!"

"How dare you! You little, pathetic, good - for - nothing, ...!"

"SILENCE!"

The two men stopped dead in their tracks.

They looked at Feli stunned.

"I think I know what the problem is."

Feli took a deep breath and gave Friedrich to Ludwig.

"There. You don't have to keep me as well, Herr Beilschmidt. You just hide Ludwig and Friedrich. I think I have already overstayed my welcome."

Ludwig went pale and opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. Gerhart was speechless.

"What's the matter? Aren't you happier like this, Herr Beilschmidt?" asked Feli.

Ludwig didn't even find the words to say how stupid this idea was. If Feli stepped out of the house, she was as good as dead. Not only was she a dissident, but also Italian. The German troops were not very fond of Italians now, and if the Gestapo were to find her, and they would, best – case scenario they would send her to a concentration camp in Poland.

Gerhart let out an exasperated noise.

"Fine! The three of you can hide here. Ludwig, choose a room and don't ever come out! Goodnight."

Ludwig sighed in relief.

Feli smiled. She knew that her father – in – law didn't like her, but she also knew that he was not a heartless man.

"Come, Feli. We have to sleep. Tomorrow could be a long day."

Feli nodded her head and followed him. Ludwig chose a guest room with a double bed and a couch. There was no cradle there, but Feli simply told him to get the couch close to the bed's foot and put Friedrich there.

Ludwig sat down on the bed, tiredly rubbing his eyes while Feli started undressing.

"Never, ever say something as stupid as that ever again." he simply said, his hands still on his face.

Feli smiled to herself. "I knew your dad wouldn't have kicked me out. I just needed to get out of the standstill we came to."

Ludwig let himself fall back on the bed, his feet still on the ground.

"Whatever. Just don't do it again. At least not in my presence."

Feli sat down beside him. She leaned down to kiss his cheek and simply said "Alright...".

* * *

Ludwig's daddy! He is Germania! I called him Gerhart because it's an old - fashioned Germanic name, so it's perfect for the guy. I like him very much!

And he totally had a thing for Feli's gramps. But the guy's stubborn and will never admit it.

And as usual, thanks for the reviews!


	15. Chapter XIV

Gerhart Beilschmidt didn't sleep a wink. And not only because his son's brat had not slept at all that night.

Just where had he gone wrong with Ludwig?

And since he had always treated both of his children equally, did that mean that his eldest son had a rebellious streak too?

Gerhart snorted and turned in bed. His eldest son had always been the "rebel" of the house. But now that he thought about it, it was never on really important things. Sure, he stayed out late at night, had always some girl around him and came home roaring drunk more than once. But he had never, ever openly disobeyed on important things. His deeper nature was, in a way, meeker than Ludwig's.

Gerhart couldn't help but think back of when Ludwig was a kid. He was shy and always had difficulties making friends. He was never loud or naughty, but the few times he strayed off the beaten path were always a big fucking deal. Like skipping that Hitlerjugend meeting to go and buy an illegal copy of a book he had started reading before it was deemed "an unhealthy read for young, law - abiding Germans, written by Jew - loving lowlives". Or flat - out refusing to join the SS. Or marrying a girl that his father highly disapproved of. Or getting involved in the Resistance.

Gerhart punched the pillow. Where had he gone so wrong with Ludwig? How could a child of his be such a disappointment?

He turned in bed again, seeing on the watch that it was six in the morning. He figured that he might as well get up. He got dressed and went to the kitchen, only to see Ludwig rocking the very much awake brat back and forth.

What surprised Gerhart was the loving look in his son's eyes. Ludwig had never looked at someone like that. Well, he thought, his wife probably got that look too, just not in public.

Gerhart couldn't help but notice how big Ludwig had gotten. He was now a bit taller than him, and bulkier too. He had probably surpassed his big brother in height. To think that he was such a shrimp when he was born...

Ludwig saw his father at the door. He said nothing, but held out a chair to him.

Gerhart sighed, went to the cupboard where he stored his alcohol, got a bottle of his best liqueur and a couple of shot glasses.

He sat down in front of Ludwig and poured it for the both of them. Ludwig nodded a thank you and downed his in one go. Gerhart did the same.

"So. Does the brat want one too? Works wonders to make kids sleep, you know."

Ludwig smirked and said "No thanks. Feli would kill me if she found out."

"Speaking of her, why are you the one awake? Doesn't she feel like it?"

Ludwig simply said "We take shifts. She's done it last night, so tonight is my turn."

Gerhart gave a sigh. "Aren't times changing. Back in the day, it was women who took care of children. I never had to wake up in the dead of the night to make you and your brother stop screaming yourselves red."

He paused.

"And the two of you screamed."

He chuckled.

"A lot."

Ludwig chuckled and answered "Then you've missed out on something."

Gerhart stayed silent for a moment. Then said "Your mother did a pretty good job on her own, I guess. Never asked me to help her."

"Maybe you weren't listening close enough."

Gerhart poured himself another shot. "Go figure. I can't ask her now, can I?"

Ludwig looked at his father. Had he always looked that old? When did his hair start to go gray? He remembered that when he was a kid, his father looked invincible, tall and proud. He didn't look that tall now. Or maybe it was Ludwig who had grown up a bit since leaving.

His mother instead had always been a delicate woman. Medium height and thin, with long, straight blond hair and grey eyes. Her name was Elsbeth.

He remembered when she got sick. He was just ten years old, and he had missed her terribly. His father was never good with words, his brother had been inconsolable and he remembered how much he had suffered on his own. He now realised that his father must have suffered a lot too. And he wasn't a kid, so he couldn't cry in front of anyone.

Ludwig wondered about his brother. Gilbert, that was his name, was four years older than him and still fighting in Russia, in the siege of Stalingrad. Ludwig liked Gilbert, he was everything he could not be. Gilbert was always his polar opposite, easy – going and loud. He would always proclaim himself "awesome" and go around with a chick whom he called "Gilbird" on his shoulder. Ludwig would have payed good money to find out why that chick never grew up.

His father had always had a soft spot for Gilbert that Ludwig honestly couldn't understand. He was such a loudmouth, he got drunk, he never studied, he would always brag and nag.

But dad and mom would dote on him anyway. Maybe because of that beautiful cheeky grin that was always on Gilbert's lips. Maybe because Ludwig had always been pretty independent. Maybe because Gilbert was a very beautiful boy. Maybe because Ludwig was a quiet child.

Gerhart ran a hand through his graying hair before snapping Ludwig out of his thoughts. "Do you remember when you came home in tears because some little girl you had a crush on told you that she already liked another kid?"

Ludwig smiled. "Yes, I do. We were sitting at this very table. Gilbert just told me that that girl was "dumb as soup" and mom told me that 'she didn't know what she was missing out on'. And you told me that mom was always right."

Gerhart smiled too. "Yes... your mom was always right indeed. That little girl really had no idea."

He got up, gave Ludwig a pat on his shoulder and put the alcohol back on its shelf.

Maybe he hadn't gone _that _wrong with Ludwig after all...

He was going back to sleep when they heard someone knocking at the door.

Ludwig froze. Gerhart took a deep breath before asking "Who's there?"

"The Gestapo, General Beilschmidt. We have to ask you some questions."

Ludwig inwardly cursed. Gerhart shouted "I'll get dressed. I'm coming in five minutes." then turned towards Ludwig with a very calm face. He took out a pen and two sheets of paper from a drawer and wrote on one of them "_write a note that says you had to run and you left the brat to me. Nothing more. Leave it on the table then go to your room and don't come out until I call. Trust me."_

Ludwig was stunned, but did as he was told. It took him thirty seconds to write the note. Gerhart read and wrote on the first sheet "_good. Now go and give me the brat. Trust me._"

Ludwig felt uneasy, but decided to trust his father. He reluctantly gave him his Friedrich and silently retreated to his room, locking it. Feli was still asleep, so she didn't notice anything.

Gerhart sighed. Holding Friedrich one – handed, he put both the shot glasses back in the cupboard, re – arranged the chairs next to the table and then went to answer the door.

He recognized the agents that had come. And they were not stupid. He mentally prayed and then said with a stern voice "I take it you're here for my son."

The agents looked at him stunned. General Beilschmidt was holding a newborn baby in his arms! And they kind of guessed whose the child was.

"Come on, get in. I don't have all day."

The two guys hurriedly got in and went to sit on the couch. Gerhart sat down on the armchair in front of them. The agents looked at each other with a confused face.

Gerhart said with an impatient tone "So, are you going to stare at each other much longer? I have things to do."

One of the soldiers blushed and said "S-sorry. We'll start now. I'm very sorry to say this, but your son has been charged with high treason for helping the undesirable people of Germany. Does that come as a surprise to you?"

Gerhart snorted. "More like a disappointment. I would never have expected my son of all people to be making such a gross mistake."

The soldier that was on the left, the dark – haired one, asked "When have you found out your son's illegal activities?"

"Tonight along with my grandchild at my doorstep, I guess."

The dark – haired soldier asked him "Could you be more specific? When have you found the baby?"

Gerhart snorted and said "Was towards four tonight. I heard someone knocking at the door, so I went to see who it was. When I opened the door, I saw the kid on my doorstep. There was a note from my son that said that he's in trouble and to please look after Friedrich. I think that Ludwig stuck around until I took little Fritz here and got back in, but I can't be sure. What else was I supposed to do?"

The soldier sitting on the right, who was a red – head, asked "Could we see the note, General?"

Gerhart got up, adjusted Friedrich in his arms and lead them to the kitchen saying "Of course. This way. I left it on the kitchen table."

Both guys took the note. They read it and confronted the handwriting with a document that had been written by Captain Beilschmidt and had to admit that it was definetely him who had written it. It looked as if it had been written in a hurry. The note read

_We are in serious trouble. We need to run. Please take good care of Friedrich. _

_Ludwig_

Both agents were very close to buying it. But they needed to be certain before eliminating the General from the list of suspects. The red head asked "General, where do you think your son is right now?"

Gerhart shrugged and said "I wouldn't know. But his wife is Italian, so maybe they're going there. I know she has a house in Rome and one in Venice, so most probably they're heading south."

The blond asked "One more thing, General. Why do you think your son and daughter – in – law didn't ask you to hide them until things got a little better for them?"

Gerhart got a very hard look in his eyes and barked "Because both of 'em know that I would take their sorry asses to the Gestapo headquarters should I see them! And besides, me and my son are not very close ever since he married that Italian wench."

Both agents jumped a little at his brusque reply. Little Friedrich whimpered, and Gerhart cooed at him. "Come on Fritz, don't be such a girl. Who's grandpa's little man? You are!"

The red – head was trying not to laugh. The dark – haired one asked sheepishly "Well then, why did they think that you would have kept their son and not shipped him off to the war orphanage?"

Gerhart sighed. "My son knows how I think. He knew I would take him in because he's the only innocent one in this mess. Besides, if I have the chance to raise him, I will make sure to not go wrong with him too. And I'll have a new direct heir, because I will make sure to disinherit my son as soon as the war is over."

Both agents looked satisfied. The General had acted just like they thought he would. So they bade him goodbye and went on their way.

But General Beilschmidt knew that he had just dodged one of the many bullets that would be coming his way.

Ludwig had listened to the whole conversation between the soldiers. He was amazed at how good his father had been in deceiving the Gestapo agents. He figured that he wasn't appointed General just because of his good looks.

* * *

yeah, Ludwig is a bit bitter about Gilbo. It seems logical that in real life, with parents involved, they'd have a soft spot for the awesome, beautiful, easy - going, loud Gilbo. And I have always thought that Germania has a soft spot for him.

Hey, don't get me wrong! I looove Gilbo! He's awesome!


	16. Chapter XV

It had been a long week of nerve – wrecking hiding and sitting around.

Feli froze every time someone knocked at the door and Ludwig would go there, put his hand on Fritz's mouth and wait until the visitor had gone away. Even though Gerhart was "legally" in charge of the baby, he was not at home during the day, leaving the boy with his parents. They had not seen the daylight in a week, and Fritz was starting to show it. He was not as active as he used to be, he cried more, ate less and got colicky more often. Feli and Ludwig were worried sick about his health.

Gerhart, however much he appreciated Feli's cooking and house – hold skills, knew that it was just a matter of time until someone would have figured out what was going on. He could not justify the fact that he couldn't have visitors over for much longer, and he had had to fire the cleaning lady. Said lady was a renowned chatterbox, and he knew that she worked in some other officers' house. It was really just a matter of time before things would go horribly wrong. And deep down, Feli and Ludwig knew that too.

That was the reason why one night after dinner Gerhart put a couple of IDs on the table. Ludwig and Feli immediately understood what they were.

Gerhart lit himself a cigar, took a long drag and spoke. "These are your new identities. Use them to get a train to Italy. You know it's not safe to stay here."

Ludwig and Feli quite agreed, but there was something wrong. There were only two documents. One had Ludwig's picture and said "Jakob Bruck", the other one was Feli's and the name was "Anna Vitti".

Ludwig was somewhat uneasy. How did his father get fake IDs? And why didn't he get three?

It was Feli's turn to speak. "We do appreciate your help, Herr Beilschmidt. But I can't see Friedrich's ID. What does it mean?"

Gerhart rubbed his eyes and tiredly said "He is staying here with me."

Ludwig's eyes widened. He was going to protest, but Feli was quicker.

"What do you mean? We're not going anywhere without Friedrich!"

Gerhart took another long drag before answering. "Don't be unreasonable. You can't run with a one – month old brat with you. You'll attract attention. And if you had to hide, what if Fritz started crying? Besides, a family of three is way more noticeable than two separate people travelling on their own. And the soldiers are still very much looking for you."

Feli couldn't help but agree, but the idea of leaving her baby in Germany on his own was downright terrifying.

Ludwig said "Look, we'll find a way. We can't leave without Fritz. We just can't!"

Gerhart snorted and said "If you have a way that won't make the three of you end up with a bullet in the head, please share."

Ludwig was trying to weigh the options. But he couldn't find a way. And Feli neither.

"Look, Herr Beilschmidt, we can't. Either the three of us run, or no one does."

Gerhart closed his eyes for a moment and hung his head on his hand. He said "Look, if the three of you run together, the only possible result is that the three of you will die. If you don't run, then someone will get a whiff of what is going on here and have me, you and Ludwig killed on the spot, leaving no one to care for Fritz, who will be sent to the war orphanage or killed along with us. But, if you leave Fritz with me then the two of you will have a serious chance to get to Italy and stay there until the war is over. Then I will go to wherever you will be and bring Fritz along. I'm not stupid. I know that it's a matter of months before Germany will collapse. You wouldn't have to wait that long."

Feli was on the verge of crying. Ludwig snapped "Well, what if the Allies bomb Berlin again? How could we run off leaving our son under the bombs when we will be in a place where the war is over already? And if the Allies reach Berlin, they will not go easy on the civilians! And you are a General! I'm sure that out of revenge, they will... they will... oh God, I can't even say it!"

Gerhart was unimpressed. "That would only mean that you gave Fritz some more time to live. If he goes with you, he'll die along with you for sure. If he stays with me, he'll have a strong chance of surviving the war. Besides, with the two of you gone, I could call a nanny, and she would take him outside to get some sun. Can't you see he's been sick lately? So, think about it. Think very well about what to do."

Feli was crying now. Gerhart was right. The only chance for Friedrich to survive the war was to stay with her father – in – law.

"We just can't, Herr Beilschmidt. We really..."

Gerhart punched the table, making both Feli and Ludwig jump a mile in the air.

"BE REASONABLE, FOR GOD'S SAKE! You're just being selfish! Look, I know it's a difficult choice, but if you take Fritz with you or stay here, you are putting him to death! A parent should always do what's best for his kids, not what's best for him or her! If you love Firtz, then do what it takes to keep him alive!"

Feli put her hand to her mouth to stop her sobbing, but she couldn't. She got up and ran to the to room. Ludwig followed her, calling her name. Gerhart stayed at the table, trying his hardest to hold back tears.

* * *

Saaaad. But it had to happen. sigh.


	17. Chapter XVI

"Are you guys all set?"

It was an hour before dawn. Ludwig and Feli were already dressed, with two separate suitcases and the saddest look in their eyes. They were going to catch the train to Milan in two hours, and from there they would have been free to go to Venice. But the fact that they would be going without their baby weighed like a ton of bricks in their hearts. Friedrich was just one month old, and Feli feared that by the time she would see him again, he would have not recognized her. She thought that she would not have her little one to hug, and bathe, and change, and comfort when he got colicky. That thought alone brought bitter tears to her eyes.

Ludwig was very sad at the thought that he was going to miss his first born son's first months. Would he see him again before he gave his first true smile? Would he see him crawl for the first time? He realised that he was not going to have sleepless nights again for a long time. But it didn't make him happy or relieved. Just very depressed. He would have never thought that he would miss staying up all night, with his arm going numb under the weight of a very much awake Fritz.

Gerhart started going over the plan once again. "So, you guys do not have any relations. Jakob, you are going to a funeral in Milan. Anna, you are coming back to Italy to escape the war. Do not talk to each other. If you end up in the same carriage, ignore each other. And for God's sake, stick to your story as if your life depended on it. Well, actually it does, so no problem there."

The guys nodded.

Friedrich started crying. Feli took him in her arms and strarted rocking him. She could not hold back her tears. "_Sii forte, Friedrich. La mamma torna presto._" she kissed the whimpering baby on the forehead and handed him to Ludwig, whose eyes were very red with unshed tears. "You be a good boy for grandpa, Fritz. We'll see you soon, I promise." with that, he caressed his son's cheek and handed him over to his father.

"Well then, kids. It's been a pleasure. Be safe and do not do stupid things. Like getting yourself caught."

Feli looked at her father - in - law. She had told him everything about Fritz's habits, what he needed and what he liked. But she hadn't thanked him yet.

So she walked up to him and kissed him on both cheeks. "Thank you for everything you've done, Herr Beilschmidt. You saved our lives."

Gerhart blushed like mad. He knew that Italians kissed people on the cheek (he remembered when mr Vargas senior had done it for the first time. Oh, the shame.) But _still_!

Ludwig looked unsure for a moment. Should he do that too?

In the end, he decided to simply hug his father. Gerhart was surprised, but hugged him back.

Then, blush still in place, he gruffly said "Alright, the both of you. Be off."

Feli and Ludwig waved to him and went on their way. They reached the point where they had to split, so that they would get to the station from different streets and different times. They were going to stop being Ludwig and Feli in a moment. They were going to be Jakob and Anna, two perfect strangers, until they stepped out of the train that would take them to Milan.

They looked at each other. They couldn't kiss or touch, just to be extra safe. But they could talk if they kept it down.

Ludwig sighed deeply and said "Well then, Feli. Good luck. I love you."

Feli gave a sad smile and answered "You be safe, Ludwig. _In bocca al lupo. _I love you too."

Ludwig gave an half hearted chuckle and whispered "_Crepi_."

* * *

_Sii forte, la mamma torna presto _= be strong, mom will be back soon

_In bocca al lupo/crepi _= go get eaten by a wolf/may the wolf die (it's a way to wish good luck in Italy. You wouldn't believe how widely used it is! Check on google, I kid you not!)


	18. Chapter XVII

"_Milano. Stazione Centrale di Milano. Termine corsa del treno."_

Ludwig sighed, finally sure that nothing could happen anymore. He hastily got down from the train and waited for Feli. They had been separated for most of the trip. They were able to board the train without major problems, and he had realized how right his dad was. Back in Berlin Station, there were so many soldiers he could not even count them. And they were not there just for him. Germany was now full of people escaping the bombings, soldiers that were deserting, mothers that tried to run away to avoid having their kids taken by the army. He really didn't stand out much. And he did notice how families with small children or groups travelling together attracted the attention. Had they brought Fritz along, they would have been discovered in a heartbeat. He was not thrilled about having left him in Berlin, but he was very happy that he had found out that his father had been right. They would have just gotten poor Fritz killed along with them. He saw how the soldiers had treated the people who were running away, no matter how young or old. He was at least relieved to have made the right choice. At least that.

He spotted Feli getting down from the train onto the platform. She looked like her usual beautiful self, only with dark shadows under her eyes. "Feli!"

Feli turned around and saw him. She ran to him and pretty much jumped on him, hugging him, crying tears of both sorrow and relief. Ludwig hugged her back as tight as he could without crushing her ribs.

"There, there Feli. We made it. We're safe. And we made the right choice in leaving Fritz with my father. I love you."

Feli was still crying, but managed to tell him "I know. Thank God we listened to your dad. I love you too!"

They stayed there, attracting the looks of many passers – by. But they couldn't care less.

Feli gave a half laugh and told Ludwig "Do you remember the last time we kissed in a station?"

Ludwig got her drift and blushed. Of course he remembered. "Yes. I asked you to marry me ten minutes before you were going to take the train to Milan. How could I forget?"

Feli kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled him on the neck. "That's right. Lovi wanted to kill you. And grandpa too." she smiled against his neck. "Good memories."

Ludwig unraveled himself from their tight hug. "Speaking of your brother and grandpa, I really want to see their face when we will come knocking at their door..."

Feli smiled and said "They'll be so happy to see me... but not as happy to see you, I guess... and they won't see Friedrich..."

Her look clouded a bit. Ludwig ruffled her hair and told her "Come on, Feli. We had no other choice. Lovino and your grandpa are going to see him soon enough. This war won't last much longer." His gaze saddened. "Believe me. It'll be over before we know it. And Germany will never be the same again."

They arrived in Venice at seven o'clock of the following morning. Feli was still thinking of Friedrich, but she could not hide her happiness in seeing the city she was born in again. _La Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia, _the Most Serene Republic of Venice. She loved the salty smell of the air, the gondolas roaming the canals, the fantastic view of the Rialto Bridge, the breath – taking Piazza San Marco and the little _calli_ and bridges that ran across her beautiful city. Ludwig had never been out of Germany, and he was genuinely impressed with Venice. He had never seen a city of such beauty in his life. He drank in the sights, and thought that Feli looked very much in her element in that city, especially when the bright light of the early morning caught her hair. They arrived at a little square. Feli was beyond herself in excitement. She pulled on a string that was connected to a bell and waited, shifting her weight from a foot to the other. Lovino showed up at the balcony with a sleepy air and a foul mood. They started talking to each other in Italian. He could not understand very well, but he loved the way Feli sounded when she was speaking her mother tongue.

"_Chi è, cazzarola? Sono le sette del mattino!"_

"_Lovi, sono io! Sono tornata!"_

"_Oddio, Feli! Sei tu! Aspettami che scendo!"_

Lovi ran down the stairs and launched himself at Feli, hugging her and making her fall over. They stayed on the ground, sitting, hugging and laughing hard. Ludwig was a little surprised. Lovino had always been a bashful fellow, but now he was completely different. A happy smile graced his features, so similar to Feli's. And he had completely forgotten to call Ludwig "a potato bastard".

"_Sorellina! Che bello, sei tornata! Come stai? Sei bellissima!"_

"_Grazie, Lovi! Anche tu stai benissimo! Dov'è il nonno?"_

"_È in giro, dovrebbe tornare tra poco! Vedrai, sarà felicissimo di vederti! Ma dov'è Friedrich? Dov'è il mio nipotino?"_

Ludwig caught Fritz's name in the last sentence. He looked down. Seeing that both his sister and the potato bastard were not talking, Lovi got away from Feli, sat on the ground and asked in German "... oh my God. He's alright, isn't him?"

Feli soon replied "Of course he is!" and then explained in Italian what had happened. Lovi listened in silence. When she was done, he hugged her tight and kissed her cheek.

"Don't be sad, Felicina. You did what you had to. You have every right to miss him, but you do not have to feel guilty about anything."

Feli smiled. Lovi had spoken in German. That meant that he had wanted Ludwig to hear that he thought that what they did was the only decent thing. Lovi was such a darling...

"Hey! This doesn't mean that I approve of you, potato bastard! Remember that!"

Ludwig couldn't help but smile to himself.

They got in the house and a nice breakfast. Lovino enquired on every little thing about his nephew, from his eye color to how much he ate and when. And when Feli's grandfather got in the room, seeing Feli reunited with her whole family, for the first time in three weeks Ludwig felt genuinely happy.

* * *

The first line says "Milan. Central station of Milan. Last stop."

first part of Lovi and Feli's conversation:

"Who the hell is it? It's seven in the morning!"

"Lovi, that's me! I'm back!"

"Oh God, Feli! You came back! Wait, I'll be down in a sec!"

second part of the conversation:

"Sis, you're back! That's wonderful! You look beautiful! How are you?"

"Thanks Lovi, you look good too! Where's grandpa?"

"He's somewhere, should be back anytime now! But where's Friedrich? Where's my nephew?"

It had to be in Italian, it would have been very strange to talk in a foreign language to your own brother, right? =D


	19. Chapter XVIII

Gerhart woke up to a loud gunshot. He sprang out of bed and went to see if Fritz was alright before getting his own gun.

But he didn't imagine that the man who had fired had gotten inside his house already. However, he did notice when the man broke into the room where Gerhart was checking on Fritz.

He was a tall, blond man with stubble on his chin. He was dressed in a French military uniform. And he was holding a machine gun and pointing it straight at Gerhart's chest.

"General Beilschmidt, I zink." said the man. He spoke German, but had a thick French accent.

Gerhart cursed. The French were not very fond of the Germans ever since... you know... they invaded and humiliated them.

"It depends. Who's looking for him?" asked Gerhart.

Mr French Guy did not like his answer. He kicked him in the stomach and told him "Do not fuck around wiz me, _monsieur._I'm not in ze mood."

Gerhart doubled over in pain but did not make a sound.

He caught his breath, straightened and asked "What do you want?"

Mr French Guy said "I'm 'ere to take you prisoner, _Général_. If you could follow me. I don't feel like wasting bullets on scum like you."

Gerhart was thinking fast. The frog had not noticed Fritz. Maybe, if he followed him downstairs very fast he could make it... the nanny was supposed to come in the morning... Fritz would be alone for just three or four hours... it could work...

But Friedrich cried.

Mr French Guy jumped as if Gerhart had pointed a gun to his forehead. He looked genuinely startled.

"What's zat!"

Gerhart cursed. "You don't need to know, frog. Let's go, I'll follow you."

But the frog's face had changed. He had a creepy smile on his face. "'Ow old is ze kid?"

Gerhart figured that it was a harmless enough question. "Five months old. Now, can we go? I surrender!"

But the frog was not listening anymore. "You know, ze Nazis killed my wife when she was pregnant. Our kid would be five monz old today..."

Ouch.

Gerhart did not like where the frog was going. "I'm sorry. Let's go, come on! It's me you want, right?"

"Not really. My _général _wants you. But I'd razer take ze kid... so you'll get a taste of your own medicine. Doesn't zat sound fair? An innocent kid for an innocent kid."

Gerhart didn't even bother to keep his cool anymore. He got on his knees and begged the French soldier.

"For the love of God, don't do that! Take me! I'm a Nazi officer, I'll tell you everything I know, but please, please, spare Fritz! I'm begging you! I'll do anything!"

The French soldier smirked. "You know, you look a little old to be zat kid's fazer. 'E's your grandchild, isn't it?"

Gerhart swallowed. He was still on his knees. "Yes, he is. You can't do it! Please! I promised my son that I would keep him safe! For the love of God! What will I tell him if something happens to him?"

"Zat's not my business. Besides, why would I take pity on a Nazi's kid? After what zey did to me!"

Gerhart gave it one last shot. "My son is not a Nazi! I am, but he isn't! He's a partisan! He fought for the resistance! You can ask any soldier in Berlin about Ludwig Beilschmidt! They'll tell you the same thing! Please, just take me in his place!"

The French guy seemed affected by Gerhart's confession. He hesitated a bit. "Well... if 'e really is a partisan, zen why is 'e not out zere fighting?"

Gerhart decided to be sincere. He couldn't risk Fritz's life. "He had to run or they would have killed him! He trusted me with his own son! I can't let him down!"

The French looked at him. Then said "If you are sincere, you will tell me where your son is right now."

"He's in Venice! His wife is Italian and she has a house there! He had to run from the Gestapo! He's hiding in Italy until the war will be over. He's waiting for me to bring Fritz back as soon as this mess is over! Please believe me! I'm serious!"

The French soldier said nothing. He walked to the crib. He knew that the _général_ would have not tried any tricks now.

He looked at the baby. He was a beautiful boy, with big blue eyes and blond hair, with a strange single curly hair sticking out. He took him in his arms and cooed at him in French, trying to make him stop crying. Friedrich felt the French soldier's gentle touch and calmed down a bit. He looked at the soldier, smiled at him and stretched out his tiny arm to catch a lock of his long hair.

The soldier was very close to crying. He was not a heartless man, and now that he had seen and touched the baby, he thought that killing him would just have been a hideous, useless deed. It wouldn't bring his own son (or daughter) back.

Gerhart could not see his face from where he was, and was praying with all his might that the frog would have left Fritz alone.

Then the frog talked. His voice was full of unshed tears. "Change of plans, _général_. I believe you. I'll spare zis kid's life. I'll take it upon myself to bring 'im to 'is parents in Venice. You 'ave my word."

Gerhart was stunned. The soldier turned around. "My name is Francis de Bonnefoy. I need to know your son's address in Venice."

Gerhart felt like a weight had been lifted from his heart. He felt that he could trust this Francis guy.

"I don't know his address, but his wife's name is Felicia Vargas. She lives somewhere in the centre of Venice. Her grandfather's a bigshot there, his name is Romano Vargas. She has an elder twin brother by the name of Lovino Vargas. I know no more."

Francis was still cooing at the baby. It seemed that Fritz had taken a liking to him. But when he looked at Gerhart, his gaze was hard. "Zank you. 'Owever, zere is no forgiveness for you. You are a Nazi officer and you do not deserve my pity. You'll be taken prisoner, and you won't be treated kindly. I'll wait 'ere until reinforcements come. Zey won't take long."

Gerhart had always imagined that he would not get off scot – free. But it was fine with him. He had no regrets. He had helped his son out regardless of the Party and kept his grandchild safe. As long as he knew that his little Fritz would be taken to Ludwig and Felicia, he was fine with it.

He sat down on the bed and lit himself a cigar. He knew that he was going to die, but it was fine.

Gerhart offered Francis one of his finest cigars. Francis accepted it, thanked him and waited with him until other Allied soldiers came.

* * *

Francis! I wanted him to have an awesome role in this story!


	20. Chapter XIX

"_Allons, Fritz, ne pleur pas!_"

Francis was sitting on the train that would have taken him to Venice with Friedrich on his lap. He had just woken up, and Francis was trying to brighten his mood. It seemed to work. The little guy really liked Francis.

He had kept true to his word. He was going to give Friedrich back to his parents. But deep down he knew why he had decided to go so out of his way. He wanted to know how caring for a kid felt. And he was loving it.

Though he knew that this moment would be short – lived, he enjoyed it. He couldn't help but compare Friedrich to his own kid. He didn't even know if his child was a boy or a girl, but he had always felt that it was a boy.

As soon as he got to Venice, he went to the city hall to ask about mrs Felicia Vargas – Beilschmidt. His Italian was not good at all, but it seemed that the people of Venice spoke a fair amount of languages, like German and French, so he made it.

When he arrived at the given address he simply called. "_Madame Vargas! Felicia Vargas! J'ai votre enfant ici avec moi!"_

Neither Ludwig nor Feli were home. So it was Romano Vargas who leaned out of the window to see what the hell was going on. He saw a strange man that was calling his beloved granddaughter in French, so he adressed him in his language. Romano Vargas really knew an amazing amount of idioms.

"What do you want from Felicia? Who are you?"

Francis was glad to see that he would not need interpreters.

"I'm Francis de Bonnefoy, _monsieur_. I'm looking for Felicia and Ludwig Beilschmidt. I have their son here!"

Romano could not believe his ears. He ran down the stairs, invited the man over and offered him his finest wine and cigars. He looked at his great – grandchild in awe, and seeing how he was the spitting image of Ludwig, if it wasn't for that single curly hair that stuck out, he had no doubts that the baby was the boy he had heard so much about. Lovino was there too, and he went completely gaga over his little nephew.

Feli and Ludwig had gone grocery shopping. They were taking their time coming back, because Ludwig wanted to see where Feli went to school and played as a kid. Feli had happily shown him, telling him all of the funny things that she remembered from her childhood. The day she first went to school, the bridge where she had given her first kiss, the numerous times she had fallen in a canal when she was playing hide and seek with her friends...

Ludwig had no trouble picturing Feli as a kid, running around the city. When they were coming home, their heard a gondolier sing a very soft Italian song.

"_E poi il ritorno_

_in un paese diviso_

_più nero nel viso,_

_più rosso d'amor..._"

Feli recognized the song. Ludwig did not really catch much of it, so he asked Feli what it meant. She gave a distant smile and translated. "It's a folk song. It talks about a woman who has gone to Ethiopia to work during the rise of the fascism, and when she came back the fascists had taken over Italy, so she finds 'a divided country, more black in the face, more red with love...' you know, black is the colour of Fascism, but red is the color of partisans. Do you get it?"

Ludwig thought that he understood. There were many things about Italy he didn't really get, like the Italian downright uselessness when it came to organize something, or the way no one was ever sharp on time when they had to show up somewhere. But on the other hand, he thought, this was how they rolled. He was sure that you had to be born there to actually understand how things worked.

When they arrived home, they heard Romano and Lovino happily speaking French to an unknown guy who was holding a bundle of covers.

Romano spotted the astounded couple at the door and smiled excitedly, telling them in German "You guys won't believe this! Francis here has brought Friedrich all the way from Germany!"

Ludwig and Feli stayed motionless for a moment. Then they rushed to Francis to see if it was actually true. They didn't think they could be as happy as they were in that moment. And while they cried, hugging and kissing a very pleased, bigger and healthy Friedrich, they both thought that finally life was going the way it should.

_Fin._

_

* * *

_

YOU GUYS! It's over now! Oh God!

Give me a break to dry my tears...

There, I'm back. Sorry, the song is not really a folk song. It's "_Aida" _by Rino Gaetano. It talks about the war, but was written later. But it was just so effing perfeKt! I could not help myself!

Thank you for all your reviews and support, you guys. It meant a lot to me.

It's been a real pleasure.

Until next story,

Sara.

P.S. I'm nearly done with another story and I have a collection of one shots in store already... I'll publish them when I'm done, I hate it when I have to put stories on hiatus.


	21. Epilogue

"Dad! Wake up!"

Ludwig groaned.

What time was it? He opened one eye to check the clock on the bedside table.

Five thirty.

Great.

"What is it, Fritz?"

"Come on, I'm gonna be late for the first day of school!"

Ludwig rubbed his sleepy eyes. Then he said "You do know that schools starts at eight, right?"

Fritz didn't seem to see his point. "Yes, I know. Come on now!"

Ludwig was going to put Fritz back in bed when Annika appeared at the door.

She asked sleepily "What's going on, dad? Fritz was making a fuss and he woke me up..."

Ludwig felt Feli stir beside him. She yawned and asked "What's up here? What time is it?"

Ludwig sighed. Now the whole family was awake.

"Nothing, Fritz is scared about school and he woke up Annika."

Fritz pouted. "I'm not scared! I just don't want to be late!"

Feli stretched and said "You should go back to sleep. School starts in two hours anyway."

Fritz said "That's exactly it! It starts in _just_ two hours! And I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

Both Ludwig and Feli had a feeling on how it was going to end.

Ludwig said "It's much too early. How about you stay here with us until it's time to go?"

Fritz looked thoughtful for a moment, but then climbed in bed with his parents.

Annika looked at them, hopefully asking "Can I stay too? Please please please?"

Feli chuckled. "Of course. Come here, _tesoro_."

Annika threw herself in bed along with Fritz, lending straight on Ludwig's stomach.

When the both of them were comfortable enough, they fell fast asleep.

Feli tucked them in and brushed their hair out of their faces.

Fritz had grown up to look exactly like Ludwig, apart from her trademark curl. His eyes, hair, his personality too...

Whereas Annika, their four – year old, whose real name was Anna Maria, looked much more like her, both in character and looks. Even if she had green eyes. Both Feli and Ludwig knew exactly where that color came from. It was Gerhart's.

When Francis had come to Venice with Fritz, he had told them the truth. That Gerhart had offered his life in exchange for Fritz. Ludwig had been devastated, but happy that his father had died an hero's death, even if he had lived his whole life as a Nazi. He was sure that his father would be proud of his beautiful grandchildren.

Ludwig smiled and said "This really is the only time when they look peaceful, you know. When they're asleep."

Feli looked up at Ludwig and grinned. "I wish I could say that you're wrong."

Ludwig reached his hand over the sleeping children to cup Feli's cheek. He said nothing, but Feli knew what he was thinking. He was still shy and easily embarrassed, but she was glad that he had not changed over time.

She put her own hand over his. There was no need for words.

They shared a slow, loving kiss.

Things were well once again.

Not perfect, though. If something is perfect, it's just unreal, right?

* * *

Yep. Little fluffy epilogue. No way I would not introduce Annika. In my mind, she just had to be a part of the family. Imagine her as a green - eyed Chibitalia with no curl =D

So HRE and Chibitalia are together again! As siblings, but it's still cute!


End file.
